


Darkness Within the Stars

by TrafalgarNeo



Category: OnePiece
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 59,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrafalgarNeo/pseuds/TrafalgarNeo
Summary: Serena's destiny was decided before she was conceived. With an unstable gift due to being born a half-breed, she will raise the Lunar Army & plunge the world into an eternal night of desolation. In doing so she'll die. But Luffy will have a thing or two to say about that. Even if he has to drag her back from the depths of Hell to do it.





	1. Trapped

Trapped

Her heart pounded inside of her chest. Her legs and feet ached from all the running. Her skin stung from the leaves and branches that whacked her as she rushed through the thick foliage. Her entire body begged for her to stop. But she refused. She had to get away from them. She had to. She jumped when meteors of different sizes shot through the forest. Branches snapped from their passing before crashing into the ground, a few rammed into the trunks of trees causing their bark to snap. The trees groaned, unable to hold their large forms up any longer, they fell. One landed in front of her. She skidded to a stop before she could plow into it.

"So much for running on the ground," she said. Bending at her knees, she shot herself into the air with a single jump. Shooting past the leaves she broke through the canopy of the forest. The world became brighter thanks to the sun.

"There she is!"

"Don't let her get away!"

"After her!"

"Dang it," she hissed. Looking back over her shoulder she saw ten of them flying towards her. But there were more. She knew there were more. Where they were she wasn't exactly sure, but they were there. They always were. She turned forward in time to see several more meteors shooting at her. A curse flew out of her mouth. She dropped from the air. The meteors flew above her and slammed into a few chasing her from behind. She chuckled. They should have seen that coming.

"You idiots! Watch where you're shooting those things!"

"You should have been able to dodge them! Don't blame us!"

"Just shut up and get after her! If we don't get her back we'll be the ones in trouble with the mistress!"

She rolled her eyes with a snort.  _They_  were never in trouble with their  _mistress_.  _She_  was the one who was always in trouble with  _her_. And this time would be no different. The more she thought about it the more she knew it was pointless for her to try and escape. It never happened. Still she kept trying. It was in her blood to be stubborn. Though she never was sure of whom she got her stubborn streak from, her mom or her dad. She's heard both were pretty stubborn in their own ways.

"Serena! This is futile! Just give up already!"

"Not going to happen!" Serena said. "I will get away from this place!"

"No you won't! Together now! White Fire!"

"Shield!" Serena shouted just as their white fire attack came down on her. A white glow formed around her body. The heat from their attack penetrated her shield, threatening to break through and burn her. Under the pressure the shield cracked. She dropped through the only opening she had. That was right below her feet. Her shield disappeared. The white fire collided.

"Got you!"

Serena gritted her teeth when one of the guards flew right at her. She blocked his punch. Flipping backwards she nailed him in the chin with her boot. Iron filled the air. She had knocked out a tooth. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips as the lost tooth flew through the air. Red splattered onto his crisp white uniform. "And, by the way, get some new clothes. The ones you're wearing right now are stupid. What are you all? Brainless puppets for that witch?"

"You're going to pay for that!" the guard she kicked said.

Serena stepped on his head, using him as a launching pad; she shot herself back into the air. Her magic waivered. She could feel it fading. A sigh passed over her lips. Once again she was going to be hauled back to the mansion. And just ahead of her was the ocean. She could see it so clearly. But she wasn't going to reach it. Her body lowered back to the ground. The ocean disappeared behind the tree line. Her shoes tapped onto the white rocks underneath her. The guards surrounded her. She snarled at them and their matching uniforms. The fabric was silky white with a light purple stripe running down the outer legs and the outer sleeves. And despite the dark purple visors they wore over their eyes she could easily tell that they were glaring at her for the trouble she had just caused. She was so sick of seeing them, both the guards and their stupid white uniforms. If she could she would get rid of them both.

"Serena, that's enough of this nonsense," a nameless guard said.

Well, she knew he had a name. She just didn't know what it was. She didn't know the names of any of the guards, as she wasn't permitted to develop a relationship with them. Her  _beloved_  Aunt Azalea, or whom she more affectionately called Aunt Witchy, didn't permit it.

"We've been chasing you for three hours now. It's time to go back home."

"Then go," Serena said waving her had like she was shooing away a fly. "I'm good right where I am."

"You know that's not allowed." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"And when have you ever known me to go back peacefully?" Serena crossed her arms, matching his stance.

He sighed and shook his head. "Why don't you think for a change?"

"Why don't you?" Serena challenged. "All you pawns do is what Aunt Azalea tells you to. You're nothing but her doting lap dogs. You never think for yourselves."

"That's enough, Serena," he said. "It's time to go back." He snapped his fingers. "And we're not going to fight you this time."

Serena smirked as the other guards moved in on her. Just as they got close enough she round house kicked a few before a couple grabbed her wrists. Jerking her hand towards her, she bit down on one of their hands. The man screamed but held firm to her. She kicked the other one in the groin. He dropped her but another one grabbed her wrist while two more grabbed her ankles. She managed to nail one on the nose, bloodying it, and another on the chin before they finally got her locked in sun restraints. The restraints shimmered with a golden glow on her skin, pushed her magic down from within. She was now helpless. She growled, "You're going to pay for this one day! My dad will kill you all when he gets here!"

"You've been saying that ever since you've returned home," the guard said. "And it hasn't happened yet."

"I didn't  _return_ here at all, bastard! I was  _forced_  back here against my will!" Serena snapped. "And this place will never be my  _home_!"

"It doesn't matter," he said. "This is where you belong."

"It is not!" Serena said before a gag was tied over her mouth. She glared at them. It did no good. With her magic now gone she had no choice but to be dragged back to the mansion. A guard threw her over his shoulder then took off into the air. The ocean came back into her sight. A couple ships were sailing by, none of them able to help her, and none of them belonged to her father. She was still a prisoner.

All too soon she could feel the guards landing. The ocean was replaced by the gardens, the stone fence, and the gray walkway leading from the front door to the main gate. She sighed. She had been brought back like she knew she would. Another failed attempt at escaping.

The world turned right side up as she was placed on her feet. The soldiers lined up behind her. One unbound her mouth then joined the others just before the doors to the mansion opened. The clicking of her aunt's heels on the walkway pierced her ears. Then hot stinging pain shot across her cheek. The feeling was accompanied by a sharp slap of skin on skin.

"I apologize for my niece's little escape.  _Again_ ," Azalea said.

"No need to apologize, Mistress," Mr. Nameless Guard said. "We are pleased to serve you. It's what we are here for."

"And you do your job so well," Azalea said. "You're dismissed. I'll handle her from this point on."

"Yes, ma'am."

Serena could hear their automatic bowing. She would have rolled her eyes but in doing so she would receive another slap from her aunt.

Azalea grabbed her arm and jerked her inside the mansion. Her long nails bit into Serena's skin.

Like always the six floored building was cold. The foyer was void of people but full of chemicals used for cleaning the white walls, floors, and ceiling. Azalea always insisted everything be spotless, to be white. And it was. Well, almost all of it was. Serena was the exception to that.

"You are so incorrigible," Azalea said pulling Serene down the hall, her long skirt swishing in anger. "I can't believe that you are related to me. What was my sister thinking? Having a child with a pirate of all people."

"If you hate me that much then just let me go," Serena said. She tugged her aunt's grip but her cold fingers wouldn't budge. The chill of her aunt's fingers practically burned her skin. She had never felt any kind of warmth from her aunt.

"And released your unstable magic on poor, defenseless people? Absolutely not," Azalea said. "You will stay here until your magic is stable. You don't want to wake up the Lunar Army, do you?"

"Give me a break. That army isn't real. You've forced me to live here for years and they haven't awakened. And there's nothing wrong with my magic," Serena said.

"Yes, there is." Azalea's hand grew tighter.

Serena bit back the pain from her aunt's long nails digging into her skin again. She focused on the smell of beef cooking in the kitchen as they came closer to it. Soon her aunt pulled her through the door. The kitchen staff barely paused to look at the two as they passed through. It was routine. And no one ever stood up to Azalea, no one stopped her.

"Serena will not be eating with us tonight," Azalea told the cooking staff before pulling Serena through the kitchen door.

Serene scanned the backyard. A couple gardeners were working in the gardens while Azalea's twin girls were causing havoc for them by pulling up freshly planted flowers. Serena felt sorry for the gardeners. Their work was never done thanks to the Terrible Two. But of course the girls never got into trouble since they were Azalea's kids. Anything they did, bad or good, was fine with Azalea.

"You know full well that your half-breed magic is unstable," Azalea said. With another jerk, she pulled Serena under a tree. A chain with a hook dangled down from a branch. She placed the chain of Serena's cuffs on the hook. "You know you're suppose to stay with the guards when you leave the mansion."

"I was with them," Serena mumbled. "Not my fault they can't keep up with me."

"Silence!" Azalea hissed.

Serena focused on the tree bark. Light radiated over it as soon as her aunt summoned her own magic. The light from the white glow was hot yet it never burned her skin. They all were apart of it. The only way it could hurt them is if it was in a weapon form. Which was about to happen. Her aunt loved the whip.

"I grow tired of how childish you act," Azalea said. "You're not going to get off this island. Ever. So stop trying to run away."

"I'll never stop," Serena said. A loud crack sounded. Pain shot across her back. The fabric of her shirt ripped open. Warm blood flowed down her skin. More was to come. This was by far Azalea's favorite way of disciplining her  _disobedient niece_. Another snap followed, then another one, another one, and another one. With each whip her shirt and skin split open more. Sticky blood ran down her hot stinging back and onto the top of her pants. Then it was over.

"I do hate punishing you like this," Azalea said her white glow fading. "But it's necessary. Your magic is out of control. I will do anything I can to fix it."

Serena bit back her desire to verbally lash out at her aunt. Her aunt wasn't doing a single thing to fix her magic. Nothing could ever fix her magic. She was broken, a half-breed and always would be. It would do no good to argue and would only result in more lashes.

"You are grounded until further notice," Azalea said.

Serena rolled her eyes. Grounding was pointless. She had been  _grounded_  her whole entire life. Or at least since she was brought back to Hydra. She used to be free when she lived with her dad and mom.

"Go to your room." Azalea unlocked the cuffs. "I don't want to see you until tomorrow."

Pain shot through her body with every little move she made. She did her best to ignore it. Holding her head high she headed back for the kitchen. The staff was still cooking. Though she could feel their eyes on her as she passed through the room, back down the hall, into the foyer, and then up the stairs all the way to the sixth floor. Her dear aunt wanted her to sleep as far way from everyone else as possible. So she stayed alone on the top floor. It didn't bother her. She liked the solitude. And she had a great view of the ocean from her bay window. She could watch for her dad's jolly roger from there.

The sun was just setting as she entered into her room. The golden rays of the sunset poured in through the window, turning the boring white walls into a rainbow of reds, oranges, and yellows. It made her long to sail the oceans again. One day she would. She would get out of this place and be free. A light tap came on the door. She opened it. "Mari."

"I figured you'd need this." Mari held up a jar of salve. She walked over to the voice pipe and shoved a dishtowel into it so they wouldn't be heard.

Serena nodded. The plump woman was always bringing her salve for her wounds and, when needed, she would sneak some food up here. Mari was one of the few friends she did have on Hydra. Though when Azalea was in the room Mari would have to be stone faced and always agree with the woman.

"I really wish you would behave," Mari said as Serena stripped the rest of her shirt off. "It would be a lot easier on you if you did."

"Maybe." Serena lay down on the bed. Crossing her arms over her pillow she felt Mari's weight sinking down on the mattress with her. It was followed by gentle dabbing of a rag before the cool gel was spread out on her hot, stinging skin. "But you know I can't stand being trapped here."

"I know, I know," Mari said. "You're just like your mother."

"I wish she was still here." Serena sighed.

"I know you do," Mari said.

"If only my dad could come get me," Serena said. "Then this wouldn't be happening. He would put a stop to it."

"You know that's not possible," Mari said. "Despite his emperor strength he's still not strong enough to face against Azalea and her minions. Besides he has no way of getting passed the barrier Azalea put around Hydra."

"There's got to be a way to get away from here," Serena said. "It makes no sense for her to keep me here. She keeps saying she wants me to get my magic under control so I don't waken the Celestial Army. But I've been here for over ten years and nothing's happened. That army doesn't exist. She just hates me. She enjoys torturing me. She's nothing but a sadist."

"She's just jealous of you," Mari said. "She was always jealous of your mother. And that jealousy is now being projected on you. You've done nothing wrong."

"I know I've done nothing wrong." Tears stung Serena's eyes. "It's not my fault I was born a half-breed."

"It's no one's fault." Mari placed the lid back on the jar. "Your mother and father had a right to get married and have you. Never let anyone make you think otherwise."

"No one will ever be able to convince Azalea and the people here of that," Serena said. "She still doesn't recognize their marriage. I'm still an illegitimate child to her. I always will be."

"Sad but true," Mari said. "I hate to leave you like this but if she catches me…"

"I know, Mari." Serena turned and sat up. "I'm fine. I'm just going to hang out here since I'm now  _grounded_."

"I'll bring you something to eat later," Mari said capping the jar.

"You're the best," Serena said. She watched Mari leave the room before getting up and heading over to her closet. Pushing open the doors she walked inside and grabbed another shirt from the rack. After slipping it and a new pair of pants on she walked over to her bay window and sat down on the padded bench. Checking her door to make sure it was closed, she opened a secret compartment that she managed to build into the windowsill years ago, being careful to not knock over her telescope that sat with her. Newspapers and bounty posters were stacked inside of it. She pulled out two bounty posters. One was of her father and the other of a childhood friend. A smile came to her face upon seeing them. She thought they had the same eyes, black, bold, and full of energy and freedom. Eyes that she didn't get from her dad. She got her eyes from her mother instead. Their eyes were pure silver. It gave them a ghostly look. What she did inherent from her father was his bright red hair.

She stared at her father's wanted poster. He had grown quite a bit older since his last bounty poster. His shoulders had become broader, his chin more square. His hair was a bit wavier, unlike hers. Her hair was straight and cut at different lengths. It gave her a wild windblown look, something that drove her aunt insane. Her eyes then drifted to the other bounty poster. She really loved Luffy's poster. He had such a big grin on his face. Her heart warmed and fluttered each time she saw it. With a sigh she rest her head back on the wall. "Daddy, Lalu…I want to see you two again."

She turned her eyes to the setting sun and watched the light give way to the darkness and the moon. A couple hours later a knock came on her door. She shoved the bounty posters back into the hiding spot and closed the lid. "Come in."

The door opened, casting the moon light over Mari as she stepped inside carrying a plate of food and some water. "It's just me."

"Good," Serena said. "I was expecting Azalea to come back and lecture me again."

"She's busy fooling around with one of the guards," Mari said walking over to the window. "It's a wonder how the master still stays married to her."

"Probably because he's a cheater too," Serena said. She took the plate and cup from Mari when she handed it to her. "You know he's not doing all business on his trips. He's getting plenty of recreation with his busty assistant."

"Indeed." Mari nodded. "I guess they were just made from the same type of cloth."

"Glad I'm not like that," Serena said.

"Of course not." Mari smiled. "Your heart belongs to Luffy."

"Mari," Serena said. "Lalu's just a friend."

"Sure he is." Mari waggled her eyebrows. "That's why you're always staring at his bounty poster and talking to him through your bond."

"I have to keep myself entertained somehow," Serena said. "He always has great stories of his journeys. I wish I could be with him though."

"One day you will be," Mari said. "You two were meant to be together."

"One day isn't going to be soon enough," Serena said with a sigh.

"You should eat," Mari said.

Serena nodded. She picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of meat. Chewing it she thought about Luffy and her dad, wondering where they currently were. And also thought she should contact Luffy soon. It's been a while since she's heard from him. She wanted to know he was all right and hear more stories from him. Surely he had gotten into some trouble by now.

Mari took the plate back when the girl was done with it. She left the room leaving Serena with her thoughts.

Serena stayed by the window for a few more minutes before heading to her bathroom, picking up her clothes to discard them in the trash. There was no point in keeping them with how torn and bloody they were now. Her eyes went to the giant tub in the middle of the bathroom. With her back the way it was there was no way she could soak in it. It would only irritate her wounds. So she opted for a shower instead.

Disrobing, she stepped over to the corner of the room. She turned on the water and stepped underneath it. The hot water stung her open wounds. She gritted her teeth and pushed through her shower as fast as she could. As she was drying off Mari had returned to apply more salve on her back before wrapping bandages around Serena's body to keep the gel in place. The woman then bid her goodnight to Serena and left the room.

"Lalu?" Serena called as she turned off her bathroom light and crawled into bed. "Lalu, are you there?"

_"Hey, Rena!"_

Serena's heart fluttered upon hearing Luffy's cheerful voice inside of her head.

_"I was just thinking about calling you!" Luffy said. "You must be psychic or something!_

"Or something," Serena said. She leaned back against her pillows. The pressure on her back made her wince so she sat back up. "I was just missing you and wanted to see how you were doing."

_"I'm great!" Luffy said. "Just got done battling another pirate!"_

"Really? Are you okay?" Serena asked.

_"Of course I am," Luffy said. "It was hard but we're all okay. Oh! And guess what? We added another crewmate!"_

"Really? What are they this time?" Serena asked.

 _"He's a musician and a living skeleton," Luffy said._   _"Isn't that so cool?!"_

"Um, Lalu, skeletons can't live," Serena said.

_"This one can," Luffy said. "He ate a devil fruit that brought him back from the dead. Or something like that."_

"I see," Serena said. "I guess I should have know that's what it was. How is he?"

_"He's great! He's fitting right in with the rest of the crew," Luffy said. "I wish he could meet you. I wish they all could meet you."_

"I wish I could meet them, too," Serena said. "Why don't you tell me more about this adventure you just had?"

Serena leaned back against her thick pillows, wincing again at the pain, and listened to Luffy tell her stories of his recent adventures on an island called Thriller Bark. The pillows did little to ease her pain. But hearing Luffy's voice inside of her head did wonders for her. She closed his eyes and pictured everything he was telling her about.

_"Rena?" Luffy asked. "Are you still there?"_

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry, Lalu," Serena said. "I'm still here."

_"Talk to me," Luffy said. "You're upset. I can tell. You only get this quiet when you're upset."_

"I just miss you," Serena said. "It's been so long since I've seen you." Tears leaked out of her eyes. She brushed them away. "I really,  _really_  miss you."

_"Rena, did you try and escape again?" Luffy asked._

"I did," Serena replied.

_"I know you want to leave that place, but you're only hurting yourself," Luffy said. "I don't like it."_

"I'm sorry," Serena said. "I just really want to see you again."

_"Rena, we will see each other again," Luffy said. "We're coming to the New World soon. Once we're there I will come get you. I will get you off of that island."_

"Lalu, I don't think that-"

_"Trust me, Rena!" Luffy said cutting her off. "I promise that I will come find you! We will see each other again! Just wait for me! Okay?"_

"Lalu…"

_"Promise me, Rena!" Luffy said. "Promise me you'll wait and not fight anymore! Don't try and escape again without me! I don't want you to get hurt anymore! Promise me! Promise me you'll wait for me!"_

"Okay." Serena brushed more tears away. "I promise that I won't try and escape anymore. I'll wait for you to come for me."

_"Good!" Luffy said. "I will be there as soon as I can! I promise I'll come for you!"_

"Thanks, Lalu," Serena said. "I'll be waiting for you to come."

_"You should sleep now," Luffy said. "You're probably tired."_

"I can stay up a little longer," Serena said. "Why don't you tell me what your plans are? Where are you heading next?"

_"We're going to an island that's close to the New World. It's called Fishman Island," Luffy said. "I don't know much about it but it's one step closer to getting to you."_

"Fishman Island," Serena said. "I think I've heard of it before but I don't remember. I think Daddy told me about it. Have you heard anything from him?"

_"From Shanks? No, I haven't heard anything," Luffy said. "Sorry."_

"It's fine," Serena said. "He's probably busy taking care of his territory."

_"Maybe," Luffy said. "And I'm sure he's waiting for me."_

"I know he is," Serena said.

_"He's waiting for you too," Luffy said. "I'll take you to him."_

"Really?" Serena asked.

_"Of course! He'll be glad to see you!" Luffy said._

"Then I can't wait," Serena said. Relaxing back in her pillows, she smiled. Luffy was finally coming for her. And he was going to take her to see her dad.

…

The next morning Serena woke up early like always. She laid there for a few minutes before pushing up into a sitting position. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked out her window. They sky was cloudless. "I guess I forgot to shut the curtain." She yawned. "All well. It's about time for me to get up anyway."

Standing up she stretched out her body, wincing at the pain from the cuts on her back, then headed to the bathroom. Brushing out her wild hair, she stared at herself until she could see her dad staring back at her. She sighed heavily. "Daddy, I really miss you. I wish I could come see you right now. Maybe if Lalu can free me from this place that will really be possible. We'll see. I hope he gets here soon."

Finishing up her morning routing, she dressed and headed downstairs. Passing through the quiet mansion, she exited through the door in the kitchen. The air was fresh, crisp, and full of the flowers that were blooming in the morning sun.

"How's your back?"

"It's fine." Serena turned to Mari as the woman walked up to her. She cocked her head to the side, eyeing Mari's garden clothes. The woman was wearing worn out bib overalls with several gardening tools stuck inside of a belt and a large straw hat that did nothing to compliment her plump form. "Must you always wear that?"

"What's wrong with it?" Mari asked.

"It's old," Serena said. "And it smells like grass."

"Well, that kind of comes with working in the gardens," Mari said heading towards the gardens she spoke of.

Serena followed her. Kneeling down on the ground they started pulling weeds from the flowerbeds. While pulling weeds her mind drifted back to her conversation with Luffy. Her eyelids fell half closed as a soft smile curled on her lips.

"So what did Luffy have to say?" Mari asked a few minutes later.

Heat rushed across Serena's face. "What makes you think I spoke with him?"  
"Because you get that dreamy lost look on your face when you've spoken to him," Mari said. "You really should tell him how you feel."

"Yeah, right." Serena jerked a weed from the ground. "Like he would understand those kinds of feelings. Which I don't actually have for him. Besides he's busy with his dream of becoming King of the Pirates. He doesn't have time for me in that way."

"You are in such denial," Mari said. "That boy would move heaven and earth for you if he knew the trouble you were really in."

"He'd get himself into trouble if he knew the trouble I was in," Serena said. She kneaded her eyebrows and gave Mari a stern look. "And he's not going to find out."

"It's going to be a hard secret to keep when you leave with him," Mari said.

"How did you…?" Serena's eyebrows rose.

"I knew it! He is coming for you!" Mari smiled. "I was just guessing."

Serena cursed under her breath.

"Better not let the  _mistress_  hear you speak like that," Mari said.

Serena glanced over her shoulder to make sure Azalea wasn't outside before turning back to Mari. Keeping her voice low, she said, "How did you know we were planning to get me away from this island?"

"You're easy to read when it comes to Luffy," Mari said. "Your mother was also loose with her emotions when it came to love."

"You got to love genetics," Serena mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. You've got a lot from your dad too," Mari said. "According to Azalea you got too much from your dad."

Serena couldn't stop her smile. Mari was right. She did get a lot of traits from her dad. And the top two that she loved was his red hair and his stubbornness. Those were two things that Azalea really hated about her. She sighed. "If only I got my dad's strength. I would be able to get myself off this island."

"Don't feel bad because you're not as strong as your dad," Mari said. "He's a lot older than you and has lived a different life."

"You mean he's not a freak like me," Serena said.

"That's not at all what I mean," Mari said. "And you're not a freak. Don't think like that."

"It's nice of you to say but you know it's not true," Serena said. "People fear me because of my inability to control my magic. For all anyone knows I can explode one day and kill everyone here. Or awaken that fake army. Seriously. Where did the story of that army come from anyway?"

"Well, all of our history books say the army is real," Mari said. "But I too have wondered if it is real why haven't you awakened it yet? And why would Azalea bring you back here in the first place? You'd think she'd want you away from the gate in case you did open it."

"It would be my luck that I'm so much of a freak I can't even open the gate. But the threat is still there. Or everyone else believes it is," Serena said. "And Azalea isn't going to rest until she figures out how she can get my magic under control. I still don't even get why she wants to do that since she hates me. It doesn't make sense. Why is she keeping me here? You'd think everyone would rise up against her just to kick me off the island or have me killed."

"Everyone's afraid of your aunt, you know that," Mira said. "She's the most powerful of us all, with the exception of you. She governs this island because of that. And she has a lot of people on her side, a basic army. I don't think anyone could rise up against her like that without dying."

"I'm not strong like her. Still there has to be some way to stop her," Serena mumbled.

"You're already doing that," Mari said.

"How am I already doing that?" Serena cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "You know I'm no where near as strong as she is."

"Maybe not now. But you are going to be with Luffy and your dad soon. You are destined to fight against your aunt at some point. I just know it. Getting you out of here will be the best thing for you," Mari said.

"You're out of your mind," Serena said. "But I'll be putting Luffy and his crew in danger too."

"Only if Azalea can find you," Mari said. "You'll have time to work on your magic. You'll get stronger."

"You are insane," Serena said. "And not making any sense. I haven't gotten any better while I've been here."

"It will be different once you're away from here," Mari said. "You always feel better when you're speaking to Luffy. Just imagine how you'll feel when you're with him again. It's probably just stress keeping your magic unstable."

Serena smiled. Her heart raced in her chest at the idea of being with him again. "It will be so good to be with him again."

"And then you can finally tell him how you feel," Mari said.

"Not that again." Serena jerked a weed from the ground.

"He'll fine out eventually," Mari said.

"Have you forgotten who we're talking about?" Serena shook her head.

"Oh, you're not denying it now." Mari elbow Serena in the arm.

"Shut up."

"Well, if he doesn't notice then someone on his crew will," Mari said. "Surely they're not all as boneheaded as he is."

Serena opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by one of the other maids.

"Excuse me, Miss Serena," the maid said. "Your aunt wishes for you to join her in the dinning room after you get cleaned up."

"Great," Serena grumbled. "She only lets me eat with her when she wants something."

"Better not keep her  _highness_  waiting," Mari said. "I'll put more salve on your back later."

"Right." Serena stood up. Walking towards the mansion she brushed the dirt off her jeans. Once inside she rushed up to her room and quickly changed to a more suitable outfit of her aunt's choosing. It consisted of a short sleeve, silky turtleneck shirt, and a matching pair of pants before going back down stairs. The fresh coffee met her long before she stepped into the dinning room. The smell of the eggs was what met her next. It made her stomach grumble.

"Sit," Azalea said.

Serena walked forward and sat down on her aunt's left side, two chairs down. She wasn't allowed to sit right beside her aunt. Not that she wanted to. She'd rather sit anywhere else. But still she obeyed. Her eyes dropped down to the already filled plate. It consisted of one egg, a small piece of toast, a divide orange, and her glass was half filled with milk.

"We shall eat first then speak," Azalea said picking up her fork. She turned her attention to her girls. The kids were using their forks as swords. "That'll be enough. Eat your breakfast."

"Yes, Mother," the girls said. They clanked their forks one more time before poking them into their eggs.

"Yes, ma'am." Serena forced the words out of her mouth. A cold silence fell over the room as the group ate. She ate as slowly as she could despite wanting to scarf the food down and run as far away from Azalea as possible. And despite eating slow she still beat Azalea. She had to sit there for five more minutes before Azalea was done with her own breakfast.

"Now then." Azalea dabbed her lips with her napkin then placed it on her plate. "Your uncle and I have spoke about this. And we both agree that you need a tutor. The lack of control you have over your magic is beyond pathetic."

Serena bit back the desire to roll her eyes. Her uncle hadn't returned home yet. Azalea made this decision on her own like she always did when it came to her  _pathetic, weak little niece_.

"He is a very special young man," Azalea continued. "He's one of the strongest on Hydra."

Serena's heart skipped a beat. There was no way she was talking about Keres. There was nothing special about him at all. "Please tell me you're to talking about-"

"Keres Everhart," Azalea said. "He'll make a fine tutor for you."

"Yeah, right," Serena mumbled. "As long as he's not trying to sexually assault me."

"What was that?" Azalea frowned.

"Nothing, Mistress," Serena said. "You were saying?"

"He has agreed to tutor you," Azalea said. "He is well known for his skills and helping people grow with their magic."

Serena swallowed back her reply. He was more known for his sexual habits. And some of his sexual conquests weren't consensual. But since he was a noble of the island he always got away with it.

"And he has asked permission to court you," Azalea said. A cool smile pulled across her lips. "Isn't that exciting?"

Serena's body went cold. Her fingers dug into the thin fabric of her pants, ripping multiple holes into them. Her aunt's words pounded in her head like a drum.

"Serena's getting married! Serena's getting married!" the twins chanted.

"This is an exciting time, Serena. A guy has never had any interest in you before. This union could do our family wonders," Azalea said. "I expect you to be on your best behavior for him."

Her aunt's voice faded away from her ears with each word she spoke. Never before has she had such a strong desire to get off this island. She needed Luffy more than ever now.  _You have to help me. Luffy, I need you now._


	2. Suitors, Trainers, & Worries  Part One

Suitors, Trainers, & Worries

Part One

_Keres Everhart._  The name echoed over and over again in her head over her pounding heart as she paced her room. It wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. Of all people on this miserable island her aunt was going to force her to marry one of the worst men on Hydra, possibly the entire world. This wasn't happening. This just  _wasn't happening_. It had to be a dream, a nightmare of epic proportions. No way she could marry him. He didn't know anything about love. He only knew lush and control and abuse. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of here.  _Now._

"If you don't stop that pacing you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Mari said.

"I can't. It just doesn't make sense." Serena continued to pace. Sitting still no longer seemed to be an option for her. She had to move. "Other than the obvious controlling me part, there's nothing beneficial to her to force me to do this. She richer than his family. She has a higher social standing than he does too."

"That is true." Mari shifted on the bed. "But you can't deny the fact that Keres has helped others grow in their magic."

"Only the guys. You know what he does to the girls," Serena said biting her thumbnail. "But it still doesn't make sense. Nothing is going to stabilize my magic. Nothing. I'm a half-breed. There's only been one other half-breed before in the records of our history. And he died from losing control. And Keres has never had an interest in me before. He's like all the others. He enjoys making fun of me, especially my hair." She paused, her thumbnail dropping from her teeth. "It's not possible that he's actually had feelings for me all along, is it? No, that's not possible. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. And he's never spent much time with me during the parties Azalea has held here."

"Maybe your aunt paid him to do this," Mari said. "Or she's just convinced that she can beat the control into you."

Serena turned to the woman. "If that was true then it would have already happened. She's hit me more times than I can count."

"You going to tell Luffy about this?" Mari shrugged.

"I don't know," Serena said placing her thumbnail back between her teeth. "I'm not sure it would do any good. It's not like he can get here any faster if he knew about it. And it would only make him angry. You know how he is when his friends are in danger. He'll do something stupid to get to me."

"If only we could get word to your dad," Mari said. "You know he'd make it here in a snap if he knew. Then it would only be the problem of getting you off the island. But I can help with that."

Serena shook her head, releasing her thumbnail. "No. Absolutely not. She'd kill you if you helped me escape. I don't want you any where near me if the time to escape comes. And I don't want him to do that. I don't want any of his crew getting hurt because of me. Azalea doesn't know about Luffy. He and his crew will have a better chance at coming to this island."

"That's true, but can you afford to actually wait that long? We have no idea when Luffy will be able to get here. He's not even in the New World yet," Mari said. "And he could get into another fight. That would delay him even longer unless you tell him what's happening."

"He's close," Serena said. "But I still need more time. Maybe I can act like I'm interest in Keres." She stared pacing again, her thumbnail going to her teeth for a third time. "Maybe I can play timid or something. Pretend that I want to go slow. Well, it won't be pretending really. I want to go slow as possible. Molasses on a cold day slow. I might be able to keep him from doing anything to me, especially if we're out in public. Even he won't try anything in public. He wants his privacy so no one will stop him, not that they actually would of course."

"I don't think he's a patient man," Mari said.

"Perhaps, but I'm sure he won't want to upset my dear loveable auntie," Serena said. "I could use that too. And keep our  _relationship_  on my magic as much as possible."

"It might work, but I still don't think you should risk it," Mari said.

"I'll be fine," Serena said. "If worse comes to worse I can always fake some pleasure for him. That should satisfy his desires of control." A shiver ran through her. "I hate to think about it but if I have to cross that line then…well, I guess we'll see what happens. Maybe it won't be necessary."

"So when is the little darling coming over to officially meet you?" Mari asked. "Or to ask you to court or whatever?"

"In a couple weeks," Serena said. "She already had it all planned out before she told me. Stupid witch. It's probably been weeks in the planning, maybe months."

"Figures," Mari said. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Being here for me is a lot," Serena said. She walked over to the bed and smiled down at Mari, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You've helped me a lot over the years. I can never thank you enough."

"You don't have to." Mari stood up and hugged her for comfort and to stop her pacing. "Your mother was a very good friend of mine. She would be very proud of how you're handling yourself."

"Thanks, Mari." Serena wrapped her arms around the woman and cried. She hated this whole entire thing. But focused on the small light of hope named Luffy.

The next few days passed far too quickly for Serena's liking. And before long she found herself inside of her room staring at the slim black dress that a maid had hung on her wall in the bathroom. Never before has she worn a dress. Her aunt didn't allow it. And she really didn't want to wear one now. But she knew her aunt had bought it just for this  _special occasion_. The woman wanted her homely niece to look nice for her forced date. And to cover up the scars on her back of course. This dress would do just that. It was sleeveless but had a turtleneck. No one would get a single glimpse of her scars.

A sigh passed over her lips. In less than an hour her  _lovely date_  would finally be arriving. Not wanting to get dressed yet, she left the bathroom and went to her bay window. She sat down and called for Luffy. "Lalu? Are you busy?"

_"Nope," Luffy said. "What's up, Rena?"_

"Nothing much. I just wanted to talk for a minute." Serena pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. "So where are you now?"

_"We're almost to the Sabaody Archipelago," Luffy said. "We would have already been there but a mermaid fell onto our ship."_

"A mermaid, huh?" Serena said.

_"Yeah! We ended up having to save a friend of hers. Her friend was actually one of Arlong's crew. We're friends with him now," Luffy said._

"Nami must be upset about that," Serena said recalling what Luffy had told her about his navigator and what had happened on her home island.

_"Not really," Luffy said. "She doesn't see him as a friend, but she's okay. He made us some yummy octopus fritters. They were amazing!"_

"Well, glad to hear that," Serena said. "Sounds like you're getting along just fine with him."

_"And we're getting closer to the New World," Luffy said. "After Sabaody we're going to Fishman Island and then we'll be there. We have to get our ship coated first. That's why we have to stop on Sabaody. Then we'll be there before you know it."_

"That's great." Serena tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can't wait to see you." She glanced out her window. Golden rays of the sun setting casted over the sky and ocean. Her  _date_  would be there soon. "Well, I have to go now. It's almost time for supper."

_"Okay. I'll talk to you later then," Luffy said._

"Later, Lalu," Serena said. She cut off from him and stood up. Going back into the bathroom she changed into the black dress. It fell to her upper thighs, way too short for her taste. She felt almost naked in it. The small slit in the left side of the hem didn't do anything to help with that. It made her wonder why her aunt got such a short dress. Stepping over to the mirror she checked her hair. It was wild as always. She reached for her brush to try and tame it but didn't. There was no way she was going to do anything to her hair. It was fine as it was. She didn't want to tame it anyway.

"Serena, get down here, now!" Azalea's voice came through the voice pipe in her room.

Serena rolled her eyes. She hated that voice pipe despite the fact it wasn't used all that often. But there were still plenty of times her aunt would call for her by it.

"You better not be stalling!" Azalea called again.

"Now why would I do that?" Serena mumbled to herself while leaving the bathroom. She eyed the voice pipe beside her door. The lid that came with it was torn off long ago. Azalea wanted to make sure she heard her if she needed or wanted her, when it was used. It was tempting to smash the thing. But then she would get punished for damaging property that didn't belong to her. Leaving her room she made it to the stairs and descended with heavy footsteps. By the time she reached the main floor a knock came on the door. From the living room, her aunt shot her a dirty look.

"You're late," Azalea snapped.

The twins ran around their mother in matching yellow sundresses singing, "Serena's going to get it. Serena's going to get it."

"Sorry," Serena said while mentally adding:  _It was on purpose._

Another knock.

"Open the door," Azalea said.

The maid stepped forward. She opened the door then stepped aside for Keres to come in. A smile was plastered on his face. He ran his hand through his hair, showing off an expensive watch on his wrist. "Good evening, ladies."

It was a smile that Serena knew would drive any girl wild, as long as they didn't know about him. If she didn't know about his history, and if this was an actual date in her book, she guessed she would have fallen for his smile. It was very charming if nothing else on him was.

"Keres is here!" the twins ran up to him. They each grabbed an arm, wrinkling his freshly pressed suit.

"Girls, your manners," Azalea said. "My apologizes, Keres. They are still young."

"Don't worry about it," Keres said. "I have a little sister who's always jumping on me." He smiled at the girls. "And you two are the cutest. I just love your dresses."

The girls giggled.

Serena rolled her eyes.

"And you look beautiful as always, Azalea," Keres said. "You get younger and younger each time I see you."

It was all Serena could do not to gag. Her aunt's cheeks flushed as a coy smile spread over her blood red lips.

"You, sir, as charming as your father." Azalea fluttered her eyelashes.

"And you would know," Keres said. "He told me how you use to date."

"Indeed," Azalea said with a dreamy sigh. "And I still regret that I left him."

Serena doubted she missed him that much. She's known her aunt to go over to the Everhart household and not return until the next day. It was obvious they were having an affair. Azalea had many of those.

"And who is this young lovely woman?" Keres turned his eyes to Serena. "I've never seen such a lovely beauty." He smiled at Azalea. "Present company excluded of course."

Serena bit back a laugh. The man was already trying to charm her. Little did he know he was going to have a really hard time doing that.

"You're just so sweet," Azalea said. "I would love to continue this conversation but your dinner will get cold if you stay here for too long."

"You and your lovely daughters won't be joining us?" Keres eyebrows rose in surprise.

Serena knew better. He wasn't surprise. His eyes revealed that despite his eyebrows. His eyes were dull and bored. Without a doubt she knew her aunt went over every detail of how she wanted this night to go with him at some point before now.

"We would love to but this is between you and Serena," Azalea said. "Now go. Your table is waiting in the garden."

Serena bit her the inside of her cheek. Romantic dinners were always held out in the garden. Her aunt really went all out for this. Too bad it wasn't going to go the way Azalea planned. Serena's lips twitched, threating to curl into a smile at the thought.

"Shall we go then?"  
Serena looked up when Keres addressed her. He had his arm held out for her like he was a gentleman. Forcing a smile on her face, she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Of course."

"Off we go." Keres led her through the mansion and out the kitchen door.

Serena couldn't help but catch the curious looks from the cooks as they passed through the room. They knew what would happen, or might happen, if this charade went on for too long. Some of them looked happy about her date with Keres. And some looked smug about it; like they were looking forward to what could possible happen to her. The jerks.

Soft, round lights were strung up around the garden. A table was in the middle of it, with a small vase of flowers decorating the white tablecloth. Keres pulled out her chair. She forced herself to sit down.

"This is a very lovely garden." Keres sat across from her. "Your aunt has a wonderful green thumb."

"The servants take care of the garden." Serena frowned.

"But your aunt hired them," Keres said. "Am I wrong?"

"No."

A maid walked over, placing their plates on the table while another one poured them some wine.

Serena's frown deepened. She didn't drink. And she wasn't going to start now. Luckily there was also water on the table.

"Do you not enjoy the taste of fine wine?" Keres lifted his glass.

"No, I don't," Serena said despite the fact she's never tasted it before.

"You should give it a try. You might like it. And it might help you relax." Keres smirked. He took a sip like he was demonstrating his point. "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm just like everyone else. But I understand. I have that effect on all women."

Serena jammed her thumbnail into her thigh to keep herself from laughing. He had no clue that the only effect he had her was to run far, far away. "I think I'll survive this evening without drinking. Why don't you?"

Keres laughed as if she was making a joke. "Then let us eat. Your aunt told me about the trouble you've been having with your magic. I'd like to test you tonight to see how far along you are."

"Lucky me," Serena mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"I can't wait. So let's eat." She picked up her fork and took a bite of fish, hoping the food would prevent anymore talking. It didn't. She spent the next hour listening to Keres talk about how good of a teacher he was and how all of his students loved him. Which brought up a question. "How old are you?"

"Twenty four," Keres said. "Why? Does it bother you dating an older man?"

"You're not that much older than me," Serena said. "I'm seventeen after all. I was just curious. I don't think I've heard before. I knew you were older than me."

"Seven years." Keres nodded.

The maids cleared the table. Serena wished she could follow them.

"Shall we start on your lessons?" Keres asked.

Serena shrugged. "Fine."

"Then let's go." Keres stood up and walked away.

Reluctantly, she got up and followed him out of the garden. Her heart raced in panic when he left the garden completely. Was he trying to take advantage of her already by leading her closer to the fields? Out here in the dim moonlight no one would notice if he touched her.

"I hope you don't mind coming out here," Keres said when he paused close to the stables. "If you lost control I wouldn't want you to damage the lovely garden."

"Right." Serena relaxed. No attempted assault just yet. "Anything in particular you want me to do?"

"Do whatever you want." Keres shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Form a weapon or something."

Holding up her hand, Serena summoned her glow in her palm. It flickered several times before stabilizing. Grasping it in her hand it shot out and formed into a foot long sword.

"That all you got?" Keres asked.

"Yes." Serena frowned.

"And how long will it last?" Keres asked.

"About three minutes," Serena said.

"I see," Keres said. "Is that the same with all your magic?"

"No," Serena said. "I can fly for ten minutes before my magic gives out."

"And how about your wishes?" Keres crossed his arms.

"She sucks!" The twins came running out of the shadows.

Serena sighed. That was all she needed right now.

"She's very unstable," Isa said.

"Very, very unstable," Rica added.

"Watch this," they said together. "Serena, we wish for ice cream!"

"You little brats!" Serena hissed. Her glow fared up around her body. It shot up into the sky before large balls of ice cream fell down around them with loud plops. They all had to jumped and dash around to avoid getting hit. After a minute of ice cream rain, it stopped and the ice cream instantly turned into sticky puddles. "Get away from here!"

"Serena!" Keres growled. "Don't snap at them! It's not their fault you can't grant wishes!"

"Not their fault?" Serena turned to the man gripping her fists until fingernails punctured her skin. "This wouldn't have happened if  _they_  didn't make that wish!"

"She so mean! Keres!" The girls ran over to Keres, hiding their faced and fake tears in his pants. "Don't let her hurt us!"

"Serena, it's unnecessary to be mean to them." Keres frowned, his hands resting on the twins' heads.

Serena clenched her fists more. Frustration and anger raged inside of her. Her glow engulfed her body and flickered, threating to lash out of control. She took a breath and released it slowly. Stomping down her pride, she said, "I'm sorry, girls. I'm just frustrated. You know how hard it is for me to control my magic. I didn't mean to bite your heads off. Please, don't interfere anymore with my training. I don't want to accidently hurt you."

"There. That's much better," Keres said.

"Apology not accepted." The twins stuck out their tongues at her.

Serena bristled. At least her apology was a fake.

"All right." Keres laughed and patted their heads. "Serena does have one point. She needs to concentrate to get better with her magic. Don't you want that for her?"

"Whatever," the girls said. "We don't care." They skipped off. "It's boring here anyway."

Serena dragged her fingers over her face thinking about how spoiled brats they were and how she would love to turn them over her knee for a good ol' fashion butt whooping.

"They're so adorable," Keres said.

"Yeah. Right." Serena rolled her eyes.

"Let's get back to it," Keres said. "Form a sword again and try holding it for a few seconds longer."

Shrugging, Serena did as he suggested. It didn't work. He told her to do it again. Again and again she tried. And each time she lost control of the sword and it vanished. Her legs, like noodles, buckled under her from the constant use of her magic. She dropped to the ground, trying to catch her breath.

"Don't get discouraged," Keres said. "I can help you. It just might take some time."

"Whatever." Serena's chest heaved up and down from exhaustion from the repetitive use of her magic. She brushed her bangs off her damp forehead.

"Let's go for a walk," Keres said. "That'll clear your mind."

"I don't want to walk. I want to go to bed," Serena said.

"Come on. It'll be fun." Keres walked away from her. "Your aunt asked me to do this."

"Of course she did," Serena grumbled. Forcing herself back to her feet she followed after him, keeping at least a three feet between them as they walked towards the beach. Glancing back over her shoulder, she expected to see the guards following. But they weren't. They were nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry about the guards. They won't be bothering us," Keres said.

"In other words Aunt Azalea is confident you can control me," Serena said.

Keres didn't deny it. Instead he said, "Don't tell anyone this but I have a hard time telling the twins apart."

"It doesn't really matter anyway. They're interchangeable," Serena deadpanned.

Keres laughed. "I didn't know you had such a sense of humor!"

Serena huffed. She was being serious. The twins were identical. Not many could tell them apart. She barely was able to. The twins even had the same likes and dislikes though she wasn't sure if they were really like that or only did that to mess with people. "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Keres gave her a sideways glance.

"I know you have no real interest in me," Serena said.

"Nonsense. Despite the fact you're an illegitimate child I still find you very attractive." He took a strand of her hair in between his fingers. "You're hair is so beautiful."

"I am  _not_  illegitimate," Serena snapped, slapping his hand away from her hair. "My mom and dad  _were_  married before they had me!"

"That's not what I heard," Keres said shoving his hands in his pockets. "And that comes from a reliable source."

"Well,  _she_  lied." Serena crossed her arms over her chest and glared. Her aunt was not a reliable source for anything, especially when it came to her niece. "I'm  _not_  illegitimate."

Keres sighed. "I was warned you'd try and deny it."

Serena fumed. Shoving passed him she stalked down the beach, each step she took she imagined she was slamming her shoes onto his head. A lovely substitute from actually stomping his head in. "Stupid jerk. Stupid jerk. Stupid jerk!" She paused when she came to a rock. With a frustrated growl, she kicked it as far as she could down the beach. "Stupid jerk! I hate this place!"

"Hey!" Keres called out.

Serena growled. She didn't want to see him right now. She didn't want to see him ever again.

"Look I'm sorry." Keres ran up to her.

Swallowing her pride once again, and taking a deep breath of salty air, she forced herself to turn to him. "What?"

"I'm sorry about before. I know you're upset and I'm not making things easier," Keres said. "How about instead of actually going on dates we use the time to get to know each other better? I know this can't be easy for you."

"Why should I?" Serena asked.

"The truth is I really am interesting in you," Keres said putting on a charming smile.

Serena forced herself not to roll her eyes. He was really good at lying.

"Despite your faults you really are very interesting. I honestly never thought I'd see someone with your color hair. I thought all of our people had the same hair color," Keres said. "Never before has anyone had another color of hair."

"Well, I guess I'm just odd as a half breed can be," Serena said.

Keres laughed. "Maybe. But that's not a necessary a bad thing."

Serena scoffed.

"At least consider my proposal," Keres said.

"Fine," Serena said forcing the word out of her mouth. This could actually work in her favor when she remembered she needed to buy herself some time. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed into her heart and mind. Luffy's voice cried out in her head. She dropped to her knees, grasping her head. "Too loud. Lalu, calm down. What happened?"

"What's wrong, Serena?" Keres reached for her. "Hey."

Serena slapped his hand away from her. "I'm fine. I have to go now. You can leave. I'll tell my aunt I'll see you on occasions. Though we're only going to be friends." Not giving him a chance to reply, she turned and ran down the beach. Reaching a small patch of trees she paused to see if he followed her. He didn't. "Lalu? Lalu, can you hear me?"

No response.

Serene pressed her hand to a tree. "Lalu? Luffy? Come on. Answer me. Why were you screaming before? Are you hurt? Were you attacked?"

Still he didn't answer.

She paced, every few seconds she called out for Luffy, hoping and praying he would answer her but she got nothing. She couldn't get him to respond at all. It was like a black void had come between them. "Come on, Lalu. What happened to you? Why won't you answer me?"

Before she knew it, several hours had past. A chilly wind brushed over her skin, creating goosebumps. She rubbed her hands over her arms. She had to get back to the mansion before the guards were sent out after her. It was surprising that they weren't already. Perhaps Keres didn't tell her aunt that she ran off. Perhaps her aunt thought she was still on her  _date_. And perhaps she'd sprout wings and fly away from here. With a sigh she headed back towards the mansion. Entering into the kitchen, she found it deserted, void of all the sounds she was use to. Walking down the hall she found the mansion was dark. If she got lucky she would get to her room before her aunt even knew she was late getting in. Or not. A click and light washed over the hall.

"Where have you been?!" Azalea hissed.

Serena sighed. Of course her aunt would be waiting for her. "I had something to take care of." She marched passed her aunt with the intention of going to her room. But her aunt's cold fingers wrapped around her wrist and jerked her back. Before she could react her aunt's other hand collided with her cheek.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way!" Azalea snapped. "I did a lot to get him to come over and see you! And you ran off on him?!"

"And here I thought he came of his own free will." Serena smirked, the stinging fading from her skin. "What did you do? Pay him? Or did you just sleep with him?"

Azalea's face flushed with anger, red patches blotting her skin. Her long fingers curled into fists.

Serena knew she had crossed the line with that one. In the moment she just didn't care. Luffy was in trouble, in pain. And there was nothing she could do about it. She braced for the punishment when her aunt curled her hands into fists.

"Go to your room!" Azalea hissed before spinning on her heels and walking away.

Serena gulped. Never before had she seen her aunt so angry. But she didn't waste the moment. She turned and dashed up the stairs, slamming the door behind her once she reached her room. Every second that past she called for Luffy. She changed into a pair of pajamas, still no answer. She paced the room, calling him multiple times. He never replied.

"Serena?" Mari whispered.

Serena paused and looked at the woman standing by the voice pipe. A towel was already stuffed inside of it. "When did you…?"

"I've been here for about five minutes now," Mari said. "You didn't hear me until now."

"I'm sorry." Serena ran her hand through her hair and started pacing again.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Mari said. "Keres came back to the mansion without you. He said you just took off on him without a reason."

"Lalu," Serena said biting her thumbnail. "Something happened to Lalu. I felt so much pain coming from him. He was crying and screaming. Something bad had to have happened. He won't respond to me now. I keep calling him but…" Tears threatened to pool in her eyes. She forced them back. "Mari, I'm scared. Something happened to him. Something bad. Why can't I reach him?"

"There, there." Mari rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around the girl. "He'll be fine. Whatever happened he will be fine."

"Mari." Serena's hands trembled as she grabbed the woman's shirt. "What if something happens to him? What if he…what if he…"

"No you will not think like that," Mari said tightening her hold on Serena. "Luffy is strong. I'm positive he's all right. He might have just been in a fight again. Once things settle down he'll contact you again." She patted Serena on the back. "There, there. It's all right. You know he'll be fine."

A few more minutes of hugging past before Serena pulled away from her. She took a deep breath. Her tears vanished before falling. "But nothing like this has happened before. Not even when Robin gave herself over to the Navy."

"Just give him time," Mari said

Serena nodded.

"So what happened on your  _date_?" Mari asked.

"The twins made a wish on me," Serena said sitting down with Mari on the bay window. "They wanted large ice cream. It melted instantly. Keres yelled at me for snapping at them. He tried to be all nice and say he wanted to be friends."

"Such a load of horse crap," Mari said.

"You got it." Serena nodded. "A big load. He's faking interest in me. It just doesn't make sense. I'm not going to get better at my magic. If I was then it would have already happened."

"That woman is just too hard to read," Mari said. "She never does anything without a reason."

"I'm beginning to think she doesn't have a reason this time," Serena said. "Maybe she just went nuts."

"Look it's been a long night for you," Mari said patting Serena's knee. "A good night's sleep will do you wonders."

"Until I wake up tomorrow and Azalea works me into the ground for running away from Keres," Serena said.

"Try not to worry about that now," Mari said. She walked over to the voice pipe and took the towel out of it. Then she waved to Serena before leaving the room.

Serena sighed and turned her eyes out the window. The stars sparkled in the sky, reflecting into the sea. "Lalu…what happened to you?"


	3. Suitors, Trainers, & Worries  Part Two

Suitors, Trainers, & Worries

Part Two

_Serena walked down a dirt path. Buildings materialized on each side of the road as she passed them. They were familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen them before. Laughter then floated into the air. Turning to her right she found the building the laughter was coming from. She looked up. There were words on the building over the door but she was unable to read them, as they were blurry and mangled. She entered into the building. Her eyes widened. Her pirate crew was scattered around the room, drinking, laughing, and having a fun time._

_"Hey!" Yasopp said, lifting his tankard. "Look who finally crawled out of bed!"_

_"Serena!" Lucky Roo smiled at her. "You've been missing all the fun! Luffy's here too!"_

_"Huh?" Serena looked to her right. Luffy was sitting at the bar with a glass of juice in his hands._

_"Rena," Luffy said. "About time you woke up. Where have you been?"_

_"Lalu," Serena said before rushing over to him. "Where have you been?! I've been calling you for hours!"_

_"What are you talking about?" Luffy blinked. "I haven't gone anywhere."_

_"Yes! You did!" Serena insisted. "You and your crew were heading for Sabaody! Then suddenly you were just gone! I couldn't contact you at all!"_

_"Are you feeling okay?" Luffy blinked. "I'm only seven years old. I'm not strong enough to be a pirate yet."_

_"Seven?" Serena looked at his body. He was only seven years old. Her eyes dropped to her own body. She was a kid too. Her hands roamed her simple white dress. "What? What happened?"_

_"Sounds like you had a bad dream."_

_Serena's heart fluttered at the soothing sound of her mom's voice. She turned to her, finding both her parents sitting at the bar. Tears rushed from her eyes. "Mommy?"_

_"What's the matter, Serena? You look upset about something," her mom said._

_"You're here," Serena said._

_"Of course I am," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?"_

_"But you've been gone," Serena said._

_"I'm right here." She held out her arms._

_"Mom!" Serena rushed forward. She leaped into her mom's arms. Warmth spread over her body. "Mom!"_

_"There, there." She patted Serena's back._

_"I thought I'd never see you again!" Serena cried._

_"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you," she said._

_Serena looked up at her mom. "You're here now."_

_"Now." She nodded. "I'll always be with you even though you can't see me."_

_"Mom, I'm scared," Serena said. "Azalea is forcing me to date someone who's terrible. He hurts women, a lot. And now I can't contact Lalu. His mind is gone."_

_"He'll be all right," she said._

_"But what happened?" Serena asked._

_"Give it time, my little nova," she said as her body started to fade away._

_"Mom, where are you going?" Serena said. "It's getting hard to see you."_

_"Don't be afraid, Little Nova," she said, fading away more. "You can trust Luffy. He will come for you. Just be patient a little bit longer."_

_"Mom!" Serena reached out for her but her mom vanished. The whole place vanished, leaving her standing in a dark void. "Mom…no."_

"Come back." Serena opened her eyes. Gasping she sat up and looked around. She found she had fallen asleep on the window bay bed. The sky was a dull blue from the rising sun so it was still early. Her hands became wet when she brushed all her tears away. "I was crying." She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple. "It was a dream. It felt so real though. We were back on Windmill Village. I hope Lalu's okay like mom said. Lalu? Lalu, can you hear me?"

He didn't answer. Again.

Sighing, she forced herself of the bed and walked into the bathroom. Once dressed she left the room to get started on her chores while still thinking of her dream and Luffy. Taking her time walking down the stairs, she wondered what her punishment was going to be for running away from Keres like she did. And for yelling at the twins. There was no way they kept that a secret from their mother. They enjoyed torturing her as much as Azalea did.

Ignoring the glares from the kitchen staff, she snatched a muffin off the counter before anyone could notice what she was doing then stepped outside. Pausing in the cool morning air, she ate the muffin. Butter and blueberries blanketed her tongue, but she barely tasted them. Her mind was locked onto Luffy and when she would finally be able to talk to him again. Tossing the last bite of muffin into her mouth she walked over to the shed and pulled out a pair of large scissors before trimming back the rosebushes. A few minutes later Mari appeared.

"Have you got a hold of Luffy yet?" she asked.

"No." Serena sighed. The trimmers snipped a few more times before she paused. "He's still not answering."

"I'm sure he's fine," Mari said.

Serena could only sigh as they continued working on the flowers.

"Serena!" Azalea snapped. "Get in here!"

"Well, I guess it's punishment time," Serena said handing Mari the gardening tool.

"Good luck." Mari gave her a weak smile.

Serena nodded and headed for the mansion.

"She's in the study," a maid said when passing by her in the hall.

Serena headed right there. Entering into the room she found her aunt sitting at the desk. She braced for her punishment.

"I am very disappointed in you," Azalea said. "Keres is an extremely wonderful guy. And you just ran away from him?!"

Serena bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself quiet. Keres was not wonderful.

"Fortunately, Keres has forgiven you for running out on him." Azalea laced her fingers together in front of her chest. "He'll be here soon. You're going to spend the entire day with him. No complaints."

And there was the punishment.

"Also you will be doing your chores when you get back," Azalea said. "The girls told me how mean you were being to them. So in addition to your chores you will be cleaning the mansion from top to bottom."

"You have got to be kidding!" Serena said. "Do you have any idea how long that will take on top of all my chores?!"

"Do not raise your voice at me!" Azalea slammed her hand down on the desk. "I am doing you a favor by letting you be courted by Keres. He will be the only man ever interested in you. You are a disgusting half-breed. You're lucky I have been able to save your life. Show a little more gratitude,  _White Dwarf_."

Serena flinched. White Dwarf on Hydra was an insult. It was only used for someone who didn't have control over their magic. Not many have been called that. But she got called it all the time.

"And this time you will not run away from him," Azalea said. "If you do I assure you the punishment will be severe. Do you understand me? I asked you a question! Answer me!"

"Yes, I understand," Serena said, forcing the words out of her mouth. "I will behave and not run away."

"Good." A knock on the door. Azalea gave her a dismissal wave. "That will be him. Get out of my sight."

Serena spun on her heels. Mumbling under her breath, she said, "Gladly."

"Master Keres is here to see you," the maid said.

"I can see that." Serena looked at Keres still standing in the open door. "Let's go."

"You're in a hurry," Keres said when Serena brushed passed him.

"Yeah, well, life's too short and all," Serena said. "What are we doing first?"

"Considering it's still early I thought we could get something to eat," Keres said following her.

"Great," Serena said. Her eyes went to the front gate. A carriage pulled by two horses was standing there. "What's that for?"

"To ride around in, of course." Keres climbed up in the driver seat. "Usually I have a driver but I figured you wouldn't want a chaperone with us on our date."

He was wrong. If someone else was around them then that meant he couldn't try anything with her. She swallowed.

"You coming?" Keres asked.

Serena forced herself up beside him. He flicked the reins. The horses started walking, jerking the wagon. The two mile drive into the city was a boring one. Keres didn't try to hold a conversation with her at all. And she didn't want to talk to him anyway. So she just was the scenery pass by. Her mind wandered over the white rocks that covered the majority of the island. Her mind drifted to the legend that surrounded this island. Its been said that this island fell down from the moon and gifted people with magic. Yet no one had any actual proof of that, especially since their magic was more star like than moon like. Somewhere along the way their history seemed to vanish. Some believed it was part of the blank century but she had her doubts.

"We're here." Keres pulled the carriage to a halt in front of a fancy restaurant.

Serena gulped, eyeing the slick dressed people going in and out of the building. Never before had she been in such a place.

"Let's go." Keres climbed off the wagon and held up his hand.

She lifted an eyebrow but took his hand anyway. From the corner of her eyes she noticed people staring and whispering behind their hands.

"That's Keres."

"Why is he with  _that_  girl?"

"He's dating White Dwarf? How could his parents allow that? He's better than she is. She's nothing but a half-breed, a White Dwarf. They should have killed her years ago. What was Azalea thinking bring this plague to Hydra?"

Serena sighed. Their eyes were cold and hateful. They all hated her, berated her. It was normal. People feared her because she was different, because she couldn't control her magic. Because of the stories told throughout the generations. Her eyes lifted to the giant statue standing in the middle of the city, it was the tallest structure on the island. Its white stone shimmered in the sunlight; contradicting the pain and mystery the figure was showing. The man's face was twisted in horror. His hands spread out to his sides, his legs dangling. It looked like a crucifix. It might have actually been. The story of the statue said that the man on it had been born a half-breed. He was unable to control his magic and almost destroyed Hydra completely. The elite of that time took it upon themselves to kill him to save their homes. The statue was placed here as a reminder that having a child with normal humans wasn't permitted. And if anyone did that child would be put to death. But since she wasn't dead, yet, she didn't think the story was actually true. She figured people only believed it because they wanted to and wanted to use it to hate her. There was no real record of the man being real after all.

"You don't have to worry about them," Keres said. He shifted his hand on hers, lacing their fingers together. "No one's going to hurt you with me around."

"So noble of you." Serena forcing back a roll of her eyes, she let her hand hang limp in his.

"I know." Keres beamed.

This was going to be one long day. Serena allowed him to guide her into the building. The building air was flavored with breakfast and fresh coffee.

"Your usual seat, sir?" a man in a black suit asked.

Serena looked at the man. He was eyeing her simple clothing with distain.

"Yes." Keres nodded.

"Right this way." The man waved his hand before leading them into the room.

The chatter and eating stopped when the people inside noticed them. Their hate filled eyes contradicted the beautiful chandeliers that sparkled above them.

"What's she doing here? And with Keres?"

"Look at what she's wearing. Absolutely horrible. Doesn't she have anything but rags?"

"Of course not. That's White Dwarf. She's lucky she even has a place to live. Azalea is really a saint for putting up with  _her_."

Serena ignored them. She liked her simple clothes. She didn't care at all that she was severely underdressed for a place like this. The only thing she couldn't get out of her head was her aunt being called a saint. Sure Azalea was a saint, Saint Azalea of Demons. Serena swallowed her laughter and smile.

"Here you go," the man said. "Your server will be right with you."

Keres slid into the booth first.

"So much for being a gentleman," Serena mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Keres asked.

"Nothing." Serena sat down. Running her hand over the tablecloth she found it was pure silk. The utensils were solid silver. Turning her eyes around the room, she ignored all the stares and whispered, and took in the paintings. Most had the stars and moon incorporated in them.

"What would you like to drink this morning?" a waitress asked.

Serena turned to her.

"The usual," Keres said. "She'll have it too."

"Very well." She wrote that down and walked away. "I'll be right back."

"Feel free to order anything you want," Keres said. "My dad owns this place after all."

"Great." Serena picked up the menu and opened it. Her eyes widened at the expensive prices. "A thousand berries for pancakes?"

"They're the best you'll ever have," Keres said. "That what you want?"

"Sure." Serena placed the menu back down. "That'll be fine."

The waitress walked back over with a bucket of ice and two wine glasses in her hand.

Serena knitted her eyebrows. Inside of the bucket, of course, was a bottle of wine. "Uh, I don't drink."

"You'll love it," Keres said.

Serena looked up at the waitress. "Please, bring me some water."

"Have a little fun." Keres popped the top off and filled the glasses. He handed one to her. "Try it."

"No." Serena frowned. There was no way she was going to drink any kind of alcohol with him around.

"Fine." He placed the glass down. "Bring her some water. You can try the wine some other time."

"Do you know what you want or would you like a few minutes more?" the waitress asked.

Serena looked at the waitress. She couldn't help but noticed the woman's eyes had a sparkle in them that rivaled the chandeliers. A fan of Keres, obviously.

"She'll have the pancakes. And I'll have the lobster." Keres winked. "With a side of you."

The waitress giggled. "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm working right now."

"Well, you have to quit at some time," Keres said.

Serena almost gasped despite knowing the type of man he was. Still she didn't think he would openly flirt with another woman while on a date. She was wrong.

"That is so true. If you'll excuse me, I'll get your orders in right away." The woman walked off.

"So how's your magic been?" Keres asked.

"Same as always," Serena said.

"We'll work on that a bit today," Keres said. "And this time the twins won't interfere."

"Great. Can't wait." Serena mentally called for Luffy. No answer. A few minutes later their food arrived. She ate on her pancakes while Keres spent most of his time flirting with the waitress. After twenty minutes of flirting the woman's boss finally came over and told her to get back to work. Shockingly Keres let her go without an argument. They finished eating and left the building. "So where now?"

"We're going back to my place," Keres said.

Serena's hairs stood up. Her heart raced. "What?"

"We need a place where we can work on your magic without getting interrupted," Keres said. "My parents are out right now and the staff won't bother us."

Serena studied his profile. If he had other plans in mind she couldn't tell. She had no choice but to wait and see what he was going to do.

The drive took twenty minutes. Finally they rolled through a pair of steel gates. Everhart was twisted into the top of the gate. She eyed it as they rolled underneath it. She then looked to Everhart mansion. Unlike the one she stayed in this one only had one floor but looked to have the same number, if not more, rooms as Azalea's. Several workers were out on the grounds, cutting, and cleaning the foliage up, making it look stunning. Some white stones had been carved into organic shapes, most likely by one of the famous artists on the island. She turned back to him when he didn't pull up to the front door. "Where are we going?"

"To the barn," Keres said as he guided the horses around the mansion. "There won't be as many servants there."

Serena gnawed her lip.

"You don't have to be so nervous," Keres said. "Nothing bad will happen here."

"I think that remains to be seen," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Keres stopped the horses and looked at her.

"I know how you treat women," Serena said.

"I treat them with great respect," Keres said, his eyebrow knitted.

"Forcing them into having sex isn't respect. It's rape," Serena said.

Keres laughed. "I've never done that. I can't believe you believe all those rumors. But I guess it just comes with being famous."

Serena growled. How was it possible he tried to deny it when everyone knew about it?

"Let's go." Keres jumped off the wagon. This time he didn't hold up his hand for her.

Serena climbed off. A teenage boy walked over and took the horses.

"Leave them hitched up but give them some water," Keres said.

"Yes, sir." The boy nodded and walked off with them.

"Follow me." Keres headed for the barn.

Serena forced herself to follow. "Lalu?"

Nothing.

She waited for him to lead her into the barn but he didn't. He headed around it instead. Reaching a gate, he opened it and gestured for her to enter. She did, against her better judgment. He closed the gate and started leading her again. The smell of the barn was quickly replaced with freshly cut hay. Five minutes later they stopped at a large cabin. "What is this place?"

"My private cabin," Keres said.

Serena shivered. She ground her shoes into the dirt to keep herself from running away.

"I come here when I want some time alone." He pointed to the field. "Look out there."

Serena turned. A herd of horses were grazing in the large field. She had thought his mansion was still inside of the city. Apparently the backside of it wasn't. "You own them all?"

"My parents do," Keres said. "They breed and sell them but keep the best for themselves. They enter the fast ones into races. It's part of their fortune."

"That's nice," Serena said.

"Let's get started," Keres said. "We'll continue where we left off last night. Create a sword and try to hold it into place."

Serena relaxed. At least he wasn't trying to make a move on her, yet. Holding her hand up, she gathered her aura in her palm then shaped it into a sword. An hour past. She only managed to hold the sword for three minutes.

"You'll get better," Keres said. "Just keep at it."

"This is a waste of time." Serena sat down on the ground.

"You only think that now," Keres said sitting down with her. "But you'll be proud of yourself once you get better."

Serena scoffed. "I doubt it."

"Look at me," Keres said.

She did.

"I'm going to get your through this. Just trust me." Keres leaned towards her.

When she noticed him looking at her lips, she pushed him away from her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to kiss you." He tried again.

Serena kept her hand on his chest. "No."

"Why not?" Keres frowned.

"Because…" Serena said. "I'm not ready."

"Huh?" Keres knitted his brow. "What do you mean?"  
"I'm insecure," Serena lied. "Remember I'm White Dwarf. I've never been in a relationship before."

"Ah, I get it." Keres pulled away from her.

Serena exhaled. It had worked.

"We can go slow," Keres said. "Just know that I will kiss you one day."

"Well, we'll just see about that," Serena said. "For all we know we're incompatible."

"You're pretty and I'm handsome," Keres said. "I guarantee we're compatible."

Serena started to roll her eyes but stopped when a horse walked up to her. She stroked her hand over the horse's nose. "Well, hello there."

"She likes you," Keres said.

"It seems so," Serena said.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Keres asked.

"Can we?" Serena looked at him.

"Sure." Keres stood up and walked around the building. "Come on. I have some saddles stored here so we don't have to go back to the barn."

Serena stood up. She followed him with the horse following her. They stepped over to a small tack room. Keres came out with a blanket and a saddle. He tossed them upon the horse then grabbed a bridle. When he nodded to her, she placed her foot in the stirrup and hauled herself up.

"Wow. You're a natural," Keres said. "Have you done this before?"  
"Once before a long time ago," Serena said. "I guess it's something you don't forget."

"That's possible." Keres saddled him a black stallion and climbed up on him.

They took off through the field at a walk. The ride was a pleasant one, despite the silence between them. She wondered why he wasn't talking. Then got her answer when she glanced over at him. Keres had a malicious, lustful look on his face. She shivered and wondered who he was thinking about. Her? Or the waitress back at the restaurant? It was obvious they had relations with each other. Suddenly her pleasant ride took a dark turn. This was a stupid idea. She was stuck out here in this field where no one would hear her scream. Her heart raced as her hands gripped the reins hard. There was nothing she could do to defend herself if Keres tried to take advantage of her. She looked around for any kind of weapons. Could she use the horses somehow? Maybe a rock?

"We should head back soon," Keres said.

Serena jumped. She was so lost in thought she had forgotten he was right beside her. "What?"

"Some friends of mine are expecting us for lunch," Keres said.

Serena glanced up at the sun. It was coming close to noon. They had been riding for hours. "Oh."

"Don't tell me you got so lost in thought you forgot where you were," Keres said.

"I guess so," Serena said.

"Let's head back," Keres said. They turned their horses around.

"So where are we going?" Serena asked.

"Over to Link's house," Keres said. "We always get together to have some fun."

"Great," Serena said. She didn't want to know what he meant by that. But at least she wouldn't be alone. Maybe someone would take pity on her if Keres tried something. After all she was still related to Azalea.

Reaching the house, they dismounted, put up their riding gear, and then headed for Link's place. The ride seemed to take forever. But finally they arrived at a white house with large columns around the porch. Several screams and laughter came from the backside of the house. They got off the carriage and walked up to the house. Keres didn't even bother to knock. He just opened the door and pulled her inside. They passed through the foyer, down a hall, and into the large kitchen bustling with staff before exiting out the back door. The loud noises were clear then. It was a pool party.

"Hey! Losers!" Keres called out while spreading his hands out in the air. "I'm here!"

"About time!" A black haired boy walked over to them.

"Link!" Keres bumped his fist against Link's.

"So this your new thing?" Link eyed Serena.

"No." Serena frowned.

Keres laughed. "Ignore her. She's just shy."

Serena turned her frown on Keres. He didn't noticed.

"Well, she'll lose up after a few drinks," Link said.

That's when Serena smelled it. Mixed in with the sunscreen and blow up pool toys was the smell of alcohol. She gulped. Drinking at a pool party wasn't a good thing. Dread settled into her stomach when her eyes landed on the people here. Not only were there high class people but also lower class ones. They were easy to spot in their once piece swimming suits, freckles, glasses, and how they stood off to the side together.

"And let me guess, she doesn't have a swimming suit either," Link said.

Serena brought her eyes back to him and Keres. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise to find Keres was in swimming trunks. "No one told me we were coming to a pool party."

"She's not the prepared type either." Keres chuckled.

"Clearly." Link smiled.

Now it was all too clear. Keres had only brought her here so he and his friends could put her down. She bristled. Keres had planned this. Or was this Azalea's idea?

"Don't worry about it," Link said with a wink. "There's plenty of swimming suits in the pool house. Help yourself." He put is arm around Keres' shoulders and walked off. "You have to come see the girls. They're totally hot."

Serena's eyes followed them. And unfortunately she had to agree with Link. That is if you think scantily dressed teenage girls were hot. Their swimming suits barely covered their nipples. And the thin, loosely tied straps were just waiting to  _fall off accidently._  Against her better judgment, she headed for the pool house. And just like she knew the swimming suits were the same as the ones the girls were wearing. There was no way she was going to put one of them on. She left the pool house. Looking around she found Keres flirting with some girls. Turning away she grabbed herself a few refreshments from the refreshment table and sat on a short stonewall. No one spoke to her, not even the  _geeks_. She didn't mind. They wouldn't have anything of interest to say to her. Plus she used the time to call for Luffy. Still nothing.

Hours past. She grew bored sitting around. Scanning her eyes over the drunken teenagers, she found that Keres was missing. She stood up and walked over to Link, who was making out with a curvy redhead. "Hey, where'd Keres go?"

"I dunno," Link said still kissing the girl.

"He walked off a while ago with Brit," the girl said through their kissing. "Pool house."

Serena turned and walked away. Entering into the pool house she was greeted with several moans and grunts coming from behind a closed door. Despite not wanting to she walked over and listened.

"Oh, Keres!" a girl shouted out. "Harder!"

Serena shivered and rushed away from the room. She should have known that's what he was doing. With nothing else to do and not wanting to watch people suck face, she grabbed a few more refreshments and headed back out to the carriage. She waited there until Keres finally reappeared two hours later. He crawled up onto the carriage and flicked the reins.

"That was fun, huh?" Keres said.

Serena stared at him. It was astonishing that he didn't seem to notice that she sat alone the entire time they were there and eventually left the party. "Yeah. Fun. You going to take me home now?"

"Yup," Keres said. "Unless you want to do something else."

"No," Serena said. "I'm not feeling all that well. I think I might have gotten too hot."

"You should have jumped into the pool." Keres eyed her dry hair.

"I didn't feel like it," Serena said. "I got a headache."

"I bet you looked really hot in a swimming suit," Keres said. "Sorry I missed it."

"Yeah." Serena shrugged. "Such a bummer. Well, maybe next time."

"You bet. Link asked me to bring you around again," Keres said. "He likes you."

"I noticed." Serena rolled her eyes. It was all too obvious why Link wanted her back. He wanted to make fun of her and put her down. Well, he'd be out of luck. Soon Luffy would be here and she wouldn't have to see any of them ever again. "Lalu, where are you?"

"What was that?" Keres asked.

"Thanks for a great day out," Serena said. "I'm sure my aunt will be pleased when I tell her how much fun I had today."

"That's good to hear." Keres went quiet after that.

Serena didn't mind. It gave her time to figure out her wording on how this day went. She wanted her aunt to believe she had fun and wanted to see Keres again. Finally, they arrived back at the mansion. Keres stayed in the carriage. "Thanks for the great day."

"See you later." Keres left.

Sighing, Serena headed for the mansion. She entered.

"Serena," Azalea said. Of course the woman was waiting.

"Yes?" Serena asked.

"So? How was it?" Azalea crossed her arms. "Do I need to do damage control again?"

"No, you don't," Serena said forcing as much enthusiasm as she possible could. "It was wonderful! Keres treated me to this fantastic breakfast. Then he took me back to his place and let me ride a horse. We then headed to a friend of his for a pool party. It was the best time every! I even made a friend with one of his friends!"

"Really?" A smile pulled across her aunt's face. "Well, it sounds like you really did have a good time."

"Indeed." Serena nodded. "I can't wait to see Keres again. He's such a great guy." She forced back a gag. If it were possible for a person's tongue to burst into flames from lying hers would be a raging inferno right now. "And he's helping my confidence in my magic. I'm sure to improve soon."

"That's wonderful," Azalea said clapping her hands together.

Serena bit her tongue. The happy look in her aunt's eyes was sickening.

"Excellent!" Azalea said. "Would you like some dinner?"

"No, thank you," Serena said. "We already ate. I'm just going to go do my chores then go to bed."

"Then get on with it." Azalea sailed into the study as if she was walking on air.

Serena figured her aunt was going to call Keres and confirm her story. She didn't care as she rushed for the back door. Busting outside she found Mari waiting for her. "Mari."

"What it that bad?" Mari asked.

"Horrible." Serena walked over to her. "At least he didn't try to force me to have sex with him."

"Hold on a little longer. It's not over yet," Mari said. "Did you get a hold of Luffy?"

"Not yet," Serena said.

"I wonder what's wrong," Mari said.

"I don't know. Well, I better get to my chores," Serena said.

"I done a lot of them for you," Mari said. "The mistress was busy entertaining herself with a guard again so she didn't notice. You can go back inside when she goes to bed."

"Great," Serena said. "You are so wonderful. I'm never going to be able to repay you for this."

"Don't go there again." Mari glared but also smiled. "You know I love you. I only wish I could do more to help."

"I know." Serena nodded. The two headed behind the gardening shed so her aunt wouldn't be able to see her. They waited there, Serena telling her everything that happened, until her aunt finally went to bed. After saying goodbye to Mari, she snuck back into the mansion and made her way up the dark stairs. Everything was silence.

Reaching her room she sighed and closed her door. After a quick shower she dressed and fell onto her bed, ready to sleep the rest of the night away and praying that Luffy would be fine and contact her soon. Her eyes fell closed. His name fell off her lips as she went to sleep. "Lalu."


	4. Only Two Years

Only Two Years

Serena sighed as she plucked the corn off its stalk. The snapping vibrated through her heart. She placed it in her bucket with the rest she had already picked. Two weeks. It had been almost two weeks since Luffy had stopped replying to her. With each passing day she wondered if he was dead. But that wasn't possible. It couldn't be. If he were dead then she would know it. She would  _know_. This was different. He was still alive, just unreachable. The only she didn't know is what happened to him.

"Maybe he's in a coma," Mari said.

Serena gave a slow nod. That was possible. Luffy had never been in a coma before. That could be why she couldn't reach him. She lifted her eyes to her friend. Mari had been wonderful these past two weeks. The woman was always encouraging her and trying to get her to look on the bright side of things. She had to admit to being a bit surprised that Mari didn't get sick of her worrying.

"Well, I think we have enough corn here," Mari said. "Let's get it shucked and processed for freezing."

"Fine." Serena grabbed one more ear of corn before picking up her two full buckets. They carried them over to the garden table. Sitting down they started to pull the husks off, tossing them into an old feed sack. The hours past as they sat in silence, just pulling the husks off their golden bounty.

"Serena, come inside when you're done there," Azalea said.

Serena looked up just in time to see her aunt disappear back into the house. "What does she want now?"  
"Who knows?" Mari shrugged. "Might as well go now. I'll finish up here."

Serena stood up. Brushing the silky hairs from the corn off her pants she headed for the mansion. She found her aunt in the study. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Azalea said turning from the bookshelf. "I'm going to be taking a few days away from the mansion. I need you to stay home and keep an eye on the twins."

So that was it. Serena sighed. Having her babysit the twins was just another way her aunt tortured her. She didn't have to babysit. There were plenty of maids here to take care of the twins.

"Remember you are still grounded," Azalea said. "But I have already spoken with Keres. He is the only one who's allowed to come over to see you. Anyone else isn't allowed unless their friends of the twins."

Serena nodded. Both knew she didn't have any friends that would come over. Other than Mari she didn't have friends at all. But Azalea didn't know that Mari was her friend. She knew without a doubt that Azalea would get rid of Mari if she knew. Everyone else hated her for being a white dwarf, a half-breed.

"Mommy! Mommy!" The girls came running into the study. "Can we have a sleep over while you're gone?"

"That would be fine, my dears." Azalea patted her daughters' heads with affection. Her eyes and voice were tender, like a mother carrying for a frightened child.

Serena leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. Sometimes she longed to be touched like that, to be spoken to like that. But it wouldn't happen. Not from Azalea. Not from the twins. And certainly not from Keres.

"Don't cause too much trouble for Serena," Azalea then said. "You know she's not as gifted as you two are."

Serena looked away.  _"Don't cause too much trouble for Serena"_  Azalea's not so subtly was of telling the girls they could torture her as much as they wanted.

"Yes, Mommy!" The girls grinned. "We will!"

Serena knew that grin. It was the little impish grin they got when they were planning on making more wishes on her magic. She was going to have to figure out how to keep the girls entertained so they wouldn't drain her magic. That was never an easy task to pull off. "So when are you leaving?"

"Excuse me, ma'am." A maid stepped into the room and bowed. "Your bags are packed and waiting in the carriage."

"I'm leaving now." Azalea bent down and hugged her kids. "I'll be back soon, my loves."

"Bye bye, Mommy," the girls said hugging her back. They then ran out of the room, giggling and whispering to each other.

"No harm had better come to them while I'm gone," Azalea said, her eyes and tone cold once more.

"You have an entire army watching me," Serena said. "I highly doubt they'll get into any trouble."

"See to it then." Azalea sailed out of the room without another word.

Serena uncrossed her arms, slamming her fist against the wall. "This is so stupid. Luffy, please answer me."

With no answer she turned and headed for the kitchen to help with the corn again. Mari smiled and said, "I saved us some ears. We're going to cooked them up when the twins are in bed and eat outside now that her majesty is gone."

"Great." Serena smiled. Eating corn straight off the cob was forbidden in this house. Azalea called it a barbaric way to eat and that men and women should never eat like wild animals. But she loved eating it off the corn. There was nothing better than corn on the cob with hot melting butter running down your chin. Her mouth watered, her stomach grumbled. Bedtime wasn't going to come soon enough.

One by one they blanched the corn, cut the kennels off, and placed them in freezer safe containers. With the majority of the kitchen staff helping it took a lot less time than it would have if it were just her and Mari. Done with that she left the room to check on the twins. The mansion was suspiciously quiet. Not finding them in any of the rooms downstairs, she headed up to their room. Giggles and whispered met her at their door. It was opened so she stepped inside. "Having fun?"

"We sure are," they said looking up from the rug. "Now leave us alone."

Serena scanned her eyes around the room. Twin canopy beds lines the right side of the room. Toys and clothes were scattered all over the floor. Often she wondered why the twins even had dressers, closets, and toy boxes when they hardly ever used them. But Azalea's perfect little angels could do no wrong. Besides the cleaning was all done by the maids. And they had long given up on trying to keep the twins' room clean of toys and clothes. Every time they put all the stuff up the twins would come along and pull it all out again within seconds.

"We told you to leave!" the twins snapped.

"Leaving." Serena turned on her heals. For the rest of the day she spent doing her chores: dusting, sweeping, folding the laundry, cleaning the horse stalls, feeding the horses. Her list was never ending thanks to her punishment. By the time she got back inside a maid had informed her that the twins had their bath and was in bed. She stretched out her stiff neck. "Wonderful. I really didn't want to deal with them tonight."

"And now it's corn on the cob time!" Mari sang.

The kitchen filled with happy chatter as the staff gathered up the corn and a large black pot. They moved outside. A gardener was building a fire. As soon as it crackled to life the large pot was set over it and water poured in.

Serena sat down on the ground. Leaning back on her hands, she stared up at the stars while everyone else talked and laughed, mostly they made fun of Azalea.

"You! Sweep up all this dirt! Even thought the girls brought it inside I'm going to blame you for the mess! How dare you ruin my floors?! I should fire you!"

Serena cracked a smile at the gardener's high pitched voice. Despite how cold they treated her this was one time they all seem to not care about her being a half breed. Though they still didn't act friend with her directly.

"And I'm off for a few days! I'm going to go sleep around with as many men as I possible can! Take care of my precious little demons! I mean  _angels_!" a cook said. More laughter.

"It's a good thing the twins bedroom is on the other side of the mansion," Serena said. "Otherwise they would hear us and tell Azalea."

"Those brats," Mari said sitting down beside her. "They need a good ol' fashion spanking."

"And I'd be glad to give it to them," Serena said.

"I'd help you. Maybe one day we can do that," Mari said.

"That would be very nice," Serena said. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Lowering her voice, Mari leaned over and asked, "Any news from Luffy yet?"

"No." Serena stared up at the starry sky. "Still silent."

"Corn's ready!" the cook shouted as he passed around the first plate with two steaming corn ears. He then passed another then another and another until everyone had corn. The butter got passed around next.

Serena blew on her corn before plopping down a generous amount of butter on her plate. She passed the butter on then smeared some on her corn and took a bite. A delightful hum came from her. The corn was as tender as could be. She devoured it in a minute before moving on to the next ear.

The corn on the cob party lasted until after midnight. Serena help cleaned up the mess before going to her room. Too tired to bother changing, she dropped onto her covers and fell into a dreamless sleep.

…

The place was quiet. Far too quiet. She knew the twins had done something they shouldn't have. She searched every single room on the ground level until she came upon the mess. The twins had pulled all the books off the bookshelves in the library. "Wonderful. The nightmare begins."

The girls were nowhere to be seen. They had to have done this when she was outside.

With a heavy sigh, Serena began picking up the books and placing them back where they belonged. Far too soon the twins came running into the room and once again pulled the books off the shelves. "Please, don't do that. I just picked those up."

"Shut up, stupid!" the twins said. "We'll tell mommy you're being mean."

"You'll do that anyway," Serena mumbled.

"What was that?" they asked.

"Why don't you two go for a ride on your horses?" Serena asked. "Your trainer is here."

The twins exchanged looks.

Serena gulped as they spoke to each other in their silent twin language. The chances were high that they wouldn't go for a ride. But then they said, "Okay" and ran out of the room.

"Thank you, God." Serena turned back to the books. It took her over an hour to get them all back into place, and in the correct order. Then she went back outside to see if the twins were staying out of trouble. And from the looks of several flowers lying stomped on the ground, they were. Glancing over to the stables she found the girls were on their horses, their private trainer standing in the middle of the corral. Sitting down she enjoyed this time as much as she could since it wouldn't last long. And she was right. As soon as the twins got done with their riding they bombarded her with wishes.

"Serena! I wish for a lollipop!"

"Serena! I wish for sugary cereal!"

"Serena! I wish for a kitty!"

"Serena! I wish for a bowl of worms!"

Each wish was granted. Serena struggled to stop them but it was useless. And like they always do, the wishes only stayed around for a few second before disappearing. Her knees buckled, she fell to the ground. Her chest heaved up and down from the magic drain. Her limbs trembled with exhaustion. Laughing, the girls ran off. She glared at their retreating backs. "Those brats. They're going to pay for this one day."

Without Mari there to help her, Serena forced herself to get up and hobble to her room. By the time she got there her body was on the verge of giving out. Despite wanting a shower, she plopped down on the bed and instantly fell asleep without finishing her chores. She knew she'd get punished for it, but she didn't care. All she wanted was sleep.

…

The next day wasn't any better. The twins did everything they could to make her chores more work than they already were. They had dumped the horses water, pulled up more flowers, tried to make pancakes for themselves only to get batter all over them and the kitchen, and so much more. She was cleaning up the last of the pancake batter when the doorbell rang. Setting her rag aside she walked to the door and opened it.

"I heard you were babysitting and thought you might like some company," Keres said with a smile.

Serena's feelings mixed upon seeing him. Part of her was glad he was here. The twins always listened to him more than to her. He could give her a break from their tormenting. But the other part knew he was only here to try and make a move on her.

"You going to invite me in?" Keres asked.

"Sure. Come in." Serena opened the door more.

Keres stepped inside. "Your aunt told me you were babysitting."

"Yeah." Serena closed the door.

"I thought I'd help you and get some of your training in," Keres said.

Serena sighed.

"What's wrong?" Keres turned to her.

"The twins have been making wish after wish," Serena said despite knowing it wouldn't do any good. "I'm magically drained at this point."

"You'll be fine." Keres headed towards the living room.

Serena followed, against her better judgment. There the twins had their art project, which involved glue and glitter, was not only spread all over their paper but also on the walls, floor, and furniture. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to stop the on coming headache.

"They're so cute." Keres laughed.

Serena glared at him. Though he didn't see it as he knelt down for the twins when they came running over to him. Leaving them she went to get the broom. When she came back the girls were showing their precious glitter art protects to him.

"They're so lovely," Keres was saying. "They look just like you."

Serena caught a glance at the doodles. Her lips curled into a smile. She had to hammer down a snort and a laugh. The scribbles were of the girls dressed in fancy clothes and looked like the messy little brats they were. All that was missing was devil horns. And she might add them later herself. She started sweeping.

"You can't look at them, Se-re-na!" the girls said.

"I don't care about your drawings," Serena said.

"Give them a break, Serena," Keres said. "They're only kids."

"Maybe you can get them to behave them," Serena said. "I've given up."

"What? These little angels are always on their best behavior," Keres said.

"Keres! Keres!" the twins sang.

"Yeah. Angels that wear demon horns," Serena mumbled.

"Now, I need you two to behave," Keres said. "I have to work with Serena on her magic."

"Okay," they said before running out of the room.

Serena frowned when Keres sat down on the couch instead of helping her clean up. She knew he wouldn't do any cleaning since he too had maids, but he could have at least  _offered_  to help. She left to put up the broom and dump the glitter in the trash.

"Let's get started then," Keres said when she came back into the room.

"I really don't feel like it." Serena plopped down on the couch, as far away from him as she possible could.

"Do it." Keres crossed his arms. "I don't want to have to tell you aunt you're not cooperating."

"Fine." Serena opened her palm. She did her best to summon her magic but all she got was flashing waves of it. "See? I'm too drained."

"You're not drained you're just being lazy," Keres said. "Just keep practicing."

Serena did despite not wanting to. The consequences of not doing it would be worst than doing it. Three hours came and went. Finally spent, she slumped in the couch. "That's it. I can't do anymore."

"That'll be fine." Keres stood up. "It's getting late anyway. I have to get back home."

Serena relaxed even more. This time he didn't try to make a move on her.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Keres left the room.

"Wonderful." Serena stayed where she was for half an hour before she was able to stand up. Heading up the stairs she stopped at the twins' room. Their hair was still damp from their apparently bath. For a second she was going to enter the room and tell them to go to bed. But it wasn't necessary. The twins yawned, turned off their lights, and went to bed. She continued on up the stairs and once again fell onto her bed without a shower.

Serena opened her eyes. Glancing over at her window she found the sun wasn't up yet. But she felt very refreshed. "I guess I really was tired. I slept the whole night through."

Not letting the opportunity pass, she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water felt good on her tired muscles but still stung the scar on her back. But she was finally getting a shower after three days of missing one.

Done with her shower she dried off, pulled on some fresh clothes, and headed downstairs to make herself some breakfast. The silence was welcomed. She made her meal and sat on the kitchen counter to eat it. Something that would have been impossible to do if Azalea was home. Doing this made her feel a bit more normal. She could imagine others teenagers her age sitting like this. And none of them getting yelled at or punished for it. It also brought Luffy to her mind, not that he was ever out of her mind. "Lalu?"

Another call unanswered.

Serena slipped off the counter to wash her dishes. Soon the twins would be up and they would want to eat. And like she knew, the twins entered into the kitchen just as she put up the last dish. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," they said. "And make it fast. We're starving."

"Coming right up." Serena danced around the kitchen. Quickly mixing the batter she pulled out a pan. Six pancakes were made in total. Putting them on plates, she grabbed some milk, the syrup, butter, and silverware before taking the food to the dinning room.

Breakfast ended without any disasters or wishes. The twins jumped up and ran back up to their room to play. Serena took the time to get some cleaning done before grabbing a book to read. Sitting down on the couch in the living room, she read her book for a couple hours. Setting the book down she headed to find what the twins were up to. She found them still playing in their room.

The doorbell rang.

"Hey," Keres said when Serena opened the door. He came right in.

"Yeah. Sure. Come right on in." Serena closed the door.

"You ready for more training?" Keres said. "I thought I'd come over early before the twins used up all your magic."

"Great," Serena said. "Can't wait."

"Keres!" The girls came running down the stairs and latched onto his legs.

"There my girls are." Keres patted their head. "Have you been good girls for Serena?"  
"Yes!" they said.

Serena rolled her eyes. Sure they've been good. Good little demons who loved making her miserable.

"That's good. Let's go outside for a while," Keres said. "I have to work with Serena on her magic."

"That's such a waste of time," one said.

"She is a lot cause," the other one added.

Serena bit back a growl, clenching her fists at her sides so she wouldn't reach other and slap them.

Keres laughed and led the twins outside.

With a sigh Serena followed them.

"Okay let's start with hovering," Keres said.

Serena engulfed herself in her glow and lifted herself in the air a few inches.

"Hold that pose for as long as you can," Keres said.

Serena nodded. She stayed like that for four minutes. Dropping to her feet she drew in deep breathes.

"Don't stop now," Keres said. "I want you to be able to hold in the air for ten minutes before lunch."

"You can't be serious," Serena said. "Haven't you been paying attention? I can't do this."

"No more with the negative talk," Keres said. "You're doing it."

"She can't do it! She can't do it!" the twins sang and danced around her. "White Dwarf can't do it! White Dwarf is useless!"

Serena clenched her fists. Angry burned in her chest. If she could she would have pounded those brats into the ground.

"I'm waiting," Keres said.

Serena quickly noted the annoyed look in his eyes. He didn't want to be here. The feeling was mutual. She lifted herself back into the air and wondered what other plans he had. Knowing him he probably was going to meet a girl later. Pushing it from her mind she focused on keeping herself aloft.

When lunchtime came she had only managed to stay in the air for five minutes. Keres wasn't happy about it. "You're not focusing enough. This should be so hard for you to do."

"White Dwarf is pathetic!" the twins said. "Forget this! We're hungry!"

"Well, excuse me for being different." Serena crossed her arms over chest.

"I guess you're just destined to be pathetic," Keres said with a shake of his head.

Serena sizzled. To angry to say anything, she marched into the mansion and right to the kitchen. There she pulled out everything she needed, slamming most of it down on the counter and stove. The hamburgers were sizzling when Keres came into the room. She waited for him to apologize for what he said. It didn't happen. Of course it didn't happen. She shouldn't have expected it.

"I wish you would stop getting so upset when people point out the facts about your shortcomings," Keres said.

"Just shut up," Serena mumbled to herself.

"Like I've said before. You don't have to worry," Keres said. "I will help you become better."

"Don't bother," Serena said.

"I have to," Keres said. "I'm doing your aunt a favor."

"Then work with her and leave me alone. I'm use to being pathetic," Serena said. She heard him sigh before he came closer to her.

"Turn and look at me," Keres said.

Against her better judgment, she did just that. She opened her mouth to reply but paused to find him far too close. He pinned her against the stove. Her heart raced as she hoped her hair wasn't too close to the fire.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" Keres asked.

"You call me pathetic then tell me I'm beautiful," Serena said. "That's no way to charm a girl."

"Don't worry." Keres traced a finger over her cheek. "You'll fall for me soon."

Serena forced herself not to roll her eyes. There was no way she was going to fall for this creep. Her heart jumped when he moved closer to her, his eyes down on her lips. He was going to kiss her. He was actually going to  _kiss_  her! In a panic to not let a guy like this anywhere near her lips, she summoned what magic she could and pushed him across the kitchen. He stumbled back wards and hit the island counter behind him.

"Hey! What the heck was that for?!" Keres hissed. "You could have killed me!"

"Sorry," Serena said as sweetly as she could with a flutter of her eyelashes. "I'm pathetic after all. I can't control my magic. But don't worry. I'm not strong enough to hurt you let alone kill you."

With that she turned and continued cooking, ignoring his grumbling. The air around them was tense while they ate. No one spoke, but for the twins who either made fun of her or spoke sweetly to Keres. Afterwards Keres put her through a nonstop work out. A suitable punishment for  _attacking_  him before. Azalea would approve. Despite the drain it would put on her, she didn't care. It was totally worth it.

…

Serena sighed heavily while the hot water fell down upon her. Though it did nothing for how tired she was. All she wanted to do was curl in bed and sleep for about a year, wake up for moment to roll onto her other side and sleep for another year. But she still had to get some chores done, fed the twins, and get them into bed. The hours dragged on. Finally, the day ended, the twins were in bed, and she could relax. Her eyes closed, wanting to fall asleep right there.

_"Rena," Luffy said._

Serena gasped, snapping wide-awake. "Luffy?! Is that you?!"

_"Yeah. It's me," Luffy said._

"What the…where have you…how did you…" Serena turned off the water and wrapped her towel around her body. "Where have you been, Luffy?! It's been over two weeks since I lost contact with you! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?!"

_"I know. I'm so sorry about that," Luffy said. "A lot's happened."_

"I should say so," Serena said making her way to her bed. She sat down on it, not caring she was still soaked from her shower. "What happened?" Silence. Her heart leaped into her throat. Tears burned her eyes as she thought he was cut off from her again. "Luffy?!"

_"Ace died," Luffy said._

All the air in Serena's lungs vanished. Her fingers curled around her blanket. Her jaw bobbed up and down for several second before she was able to find her voice and ask, "How?"

_"He died protecting me from a navy admiral," Luffy said. "He was caught by the navy thanks to Blackbeard. They were going to execute him in a public execution. I went to recue him."_

"Oh, Luffy." Serena wrapped her arms around her body, suddenly cold as ice. "I'm so sorry."

_"I know. It's okay," Luffy said. "I'm feeling a lot better now."_

"I'm glad," Serena said despite not feeling any relief. "I was so worried about you. Were you hurt? I mean of course you were. How bad is it?"

_"I would have contacted you sooner but I was unconscious for about two weeks," Luffy said. "I got hit pretty back on the chest, but I'm okay. A really good doctor took care of me."_

"Are you saying you're not with your crew?" Serena said.

_"No. I'm still not sure where they are right now," Luffy said. "But I'm sure they're fine. They're the best crew on the sea."_

"Oh, I see. I hope they're okay," Serena said. More silence. "Is there something else wrong?"

_"Yeah," Luffy said. "I really hate having to tell you this but our journey to the New World has been cut off."_

"What do you mean?" Serena's pulse sped up.

_"We're not strong enough to come there yet," Luffy said. "A man named Rayleigh has offered to train me. I'm going to take him up on it. But it's going to take two years to complete the training and get back to Sabaody."_

"Two years," Serena mumbled. Her heart sank low in her chest. Tears pooled in her eyes before falling. She wasn't going to get to see Luffy for two more years. She was going to have to deal with all this abuse for two more years.

_"I'm sorry, Rena," Luffy said. "I wish I could come to you right now, but I really need to do this. If I'm going to protect you and my friends I have to become stronger. I won't lose someone else that I care about."_

"I understand, Lalu," Serena said brushing away her tears. She wasn't going to let this get her down. She's survived this long with her horrible  _family_. She could hold on for two more years. For Luffy she could do it. She would do it. "I'm just disappointed that it's going to take so long. I really miss you."

_"I know. I miss you too. But it'll fly by fast," Luffy said. "I'm sure there's plenty for you to do while you wait for me."_

"That's true," Serena said. "There's more than enough. Too much at times."

_"What do you mean?" Luffy asked._

"Oh, nothing," Serena said. "This place is just big. It needs a lot of care."

_"I get it. So what have you been up to?" Luffy asked._

Serena instantly thought of the trouble she was going through with the twins and Keres. There was no way she could tell him that. It would infuriate him too much. So she said, "Nothing much. Just working to try and get better control over my magic."

_"You'll do it," Luffy said. "You're strong. And I'll be there to help you when we get together again."_

Serena smiled. Being with Luffy would make everything better. "I hope you train hard."

_"I will!" Luffy said. "And I'll be even stronger! I will be able to protect you better!"_

"Yeah." Serena nodded despite the doubts inside of her head. Azalea and the people who lived here were strong. Luffy had never dealt with people like those on Hydra. She knew he wouldn't be able to stand up to them for long. But once she was off this island and on the ocean maybe they would never be found. Maybe they would sail around too much for Azalea to ever find her. And why would she be found? She would be out of Azalea's hair. Her aunt would be happy to be free of her. She would also finally be free. In two years she would  _finally_  be free. And she would finally be with Luffy again. She would finally be happy.


	5. Two Years Later

Two Years Later

Serena sat stiff as a corpse. Keres had placed his arm on the back of her chair shortly after the ballet had begun. A few minutes ago he had  _casually_  slipped it down to her shoulders. She mentally nailed her feet to the floor when he did this. She had been putting off most of his advances for the past two years. But she had to force herself to let him get a few things in. So she allowed him to hug her, hold her hand, and kiss her on the cheek. Fortunately, she had been able to manage to put off him kissing her on the lips. Mostly that was because he was getting plenty of kisses elsewhere.

Despite their courtship he still  _snuck_  around with other girls to have sex with them. Despite how sickening it made her to think about it, she was still grateful he was getting his kicks from anyone but her. However, his patients with her had been wearing very thin these past few months. He had been trying more and more to kiss her lips, even tried to slip his hand up her shirt once. She managed to stop him before he could feel her, but the anger in his eyes was clear. Luffy was going to have to save her soon or she was going to have to let Keres kiss her. The thought made her shiver.

She forced herself to watch the spinning ballerinas on the stage as they moved to the music. Never had she been to a ballet before she started courting. She found out very quickly that she didn't like them. She didn't understand the point of standing on your toes and spin in circles.

Finally, after hours of being tortured with boring music and people spinning around on their pointed toes, they left the ballet hall. Unfortunately, the party wasn't over yet. The Everharts had decided to hold a party afterwards. So they, plus several of their friends made their way back to their mansion where they had plenty of room to socialize. Serena spent the rest of the night sitting quietly at a table or follow Keres around when he mingled. Most ignored her. Some made typical comments about her that she always heard.

"I can't believe she's spending so much time with him."

"I wonder why he's showing such an interest in her. She's good for nothing."

"Well, that's not totally true. She makes a good house cleaner."

Serena exhaled when the small group laughed and moved off. Little did they know she would much rather do chores than spend time around them. Dust and horses were far better companions. She would even rather spend time with Keres and working on her magic. The thought made her think of her how little she had improved on her magic. She knew it was a worthless endeavor. But no one would listen to her.

Suddenly, Keres cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking and turned to them. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement."

Serena looked at him and out to the crowd. Something was definitely going on. Never before has she known Keres to make an announcement that would require her to be by his side. "What's going on?"

Keres ignored her as he continued to address the crowd.

"As you all know, Serena and I have been dating these past two years," Keres said. A mixed reply of mumbled rumbled through the room.

It was hard for Serena to miss them. Most of the hate filled looks she got was from the young women Keres slept around with. It confused her even more. They of all people should have known she wasn't in love with Keres. She had made that known very well through the boredom she always shown in public.

"After asking permission from Azalea," Keres continued, "I am please to announce that Serena and I are getting married."

Serena's heart stopped. Her blood stalled, turning to ice within her veins. Had she heard that right? Keres was telling everyone they were getting married? That wasn't ever on the discussion list. It had literally come from nowhere. No. She knew that wasn't right. Her eyes searched the room, finding Azalea looking as smug as ever. This was all Azalea's idea. But why? It didn't make sense at all. There was no reason for her to marry Keres.

"And the wedding will be tomorrow," Keres said.

"What?!" Serena, no longer able to stay quiet, turned to Keres with a glare. "Excuse me but when two people want to get married the man should  _ask_  the woman first. And you haven't asked me-" She yipped when Keres grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back.

"You'll have to forgive the bride to be," Keres said. "She's a little shy about all of this."

The people laughed.

Serena turned her glare to them.

"What do you expect from a lesser being?" someone asked.

"White Dwarf should be pleased that Keres is taking her in," a woman said.

"She's luck. First Azalea was a saint in taking her in when her mother died and now Keres is going to take care of her," a man said. "Very lucky indeed."

Serena growled at them. The desire to scream at them was cut off when Keres pushed up on her arm more. She winced at her muscles and skin pulling tight, her bone threatening to snap.

"Please, enjoy the party. My lovely fiancée isn't feeling very well. I will escort her out so she can rest." Keres jerked Serena towards the door.

Serena stumbled after him, desperate to not trip over herself as she was lead from the room. Hate filled glares bombarded her as they made their way through the tables. She didn't care. She was too angry to even look at them. All she could see what hot white. They exited the room. "Let go of me!"

"Shut up." Keres continued to pull her through the hall. A few maids gave them curious glances before moving on to their jobs.

Serena hoped they would help her. She prayed they would help her. But she knew it was all in vain. They wouldn't help her. No one would. No one could.

"Hurry up!" Keres jerked her up the stairs.

Serena followed, helplessly as he led her down another hall and into a room. She gulped. The smell was obvious. He had brought her to his room. Before she could react the room blurred and flipped upside down. Her back hit on something soft. She bounced before realizing she was on his bed with him hovering over her within a split second. Her voice froze from the lust filled look in his eyes.

"You stupid woman," he said. "How dare you try and embarrass me like that."

Serena bubbled with anger. Finding her voice again she said, "You?! What about me?! How dare you tell them we're getting married! We're not!"

"Oh, yes we are." Keres leaned down and licked her neck. "Azalea has already told me I can."

"She can't do that." Serena tried to shift way from him but his grip was too strong. He repositioned his legs to her sides, strengthening his hold on her.

"I can. Azalea is your guardian," Keres said. "She can marry you off to anyone she likes."

"She's might be my guardian but she is not my  _owner_ ," Serena said. "She can't force me to do this."

"She can," Keres said. "And you will." He got off her and snapped his fingers.

Serena took the opportunity to bolt for the door. Just as she was about to grab the handle it opened. Two guards stepped inside. They each grabbed one of her arms.

"Hey! Let me go!" Serena struggled against them.

"No can do," Keres said. "They are acting under my direct orders."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Serena demanded.

"It means you will not be allowed to leave your room until the wedding," Keres said.

"What?!"

"Take her away." Keres waved his hand.

"Yes, sir." The guards pulled Serena out of the room.

Serena's stomach flipped in her stomach. If she had eaten anything from the party she was certain she would have toss it all up right here. Her head pounded. She was desperate to escape. But she couldn't come up with a single plan of escape. There was no where to escape to. She wasn't strong enough to get passed all the guards. Not until Luffy arrived.  _"Luffy!"_

_"Hey, Rena," Luffy said. "What's up? You sound stressed."_

_"I am," Serena replied. "Where are you? When are you going to get here?"_

_"Tomorrow," Luffy said. "We're still on Fishman Island. We ran into a bit of a problem. Nothing I can't handle though. What's happening?"_

Serena paused. Luffy was dealing with some serious issues on Fishman Island. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. He would be here tomorrow. The wedding was tomorrow. She could wait just a little bit longer.  _"It's nothing serious. I'm just getting very anxious to finally see you."_

_"Don't worry, Rena," Luffy said. "I'll finish things up here and be right there before you know it. Just wait for me. I promise I'll be there tomorrow."_

_"Okay, Lalu," Serena said. "I'll wait. I can wait."_

They arrived in another room of the mansion. Serena didn't remember the walk there. One minute she was being pulled from Keres' room, the next she was being shoved into another room, the door slamming behind her. She grabbed the door handle. It didn't budge. Running over to the window she grabbed it and tried to force it open. It didn't budge either. Movement caught her eyes. Two guards appeared outside the window. Azalea was making sure she stayed put.

Tears and anger burned her eyes. Turning from the window she slid down to the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees. Her breathing came in short sharp gasps. The room around her started to spin. She had to calm down. She had to get control over her breathing. One thing she didn't need right now was to pass out. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to take a deep breath. She held it for a few second before slowly releasing it. She repeated the action until her heart rate slowed and she didn't feel like she was going to pass out. Finally, after ten minutes of controlled breathing her head went back to normal and the room stopped spinning. Resting her head back against the wall, she stared up at the ceiling. Everything was just getting too much. But soon it would be over. Soon she would be back with Luffy and she would be whole again.

Her eyelids fell over her eyes. The next thing she knew the door was being opened. Azalea walked in.

Serena snapped awake and jumped to her feet. Anger filled her entire body and soul. "How dare you?! How dare you come here?!"

Azalea smirked. "What are you talking about? I'm only here to congratulate you on your wedding. Imagine my surprise to hear such an announcement. I knew you two were getting alone rather well, but I didn't think you were getting along that well."

"You horrible, miserable liar!" Serena hissed. "You knew about this! You  _planned_  this! I knew you were a witch, but I didn't think you'd sink this low!"

Azalea's face blotched red. With two strides she was across the room.

Serena didn't move. She accepted what was coming next. The pain stung. It always did, but her anger over shadowed it.

"Don't speak to me like that!" Azalea hissed. "I have done  _everything_  for you. And you have been completely ungrateful the entire time."

"Ungrateful?" Serena glared. "What do I have to be grateful for? You  _stole_  me from my parents. You  _caused_  the  _death_  of my  _mother_. You  _imprisoned_  me on this miserable island to live with you and your  _horrible_  daughters. Then you  _forced_ me to spend time with Keres. Keres is just as horrible as you are. He does nothing but use women for sex. And now you want me to marry him?"

"Sex is a part of life," Azalea said, regaining some of her composure. "Another thing you're ungrateful for. No other man would even look at you."

"Keres doesn't even look at me! If he did he would know how much I despise him!" Serena said. "And sex might be a part of life but  _rape_ shouldn't be. And that's what he does. He  _rapes_  the majority of the women he's been with. I know you know that. Everyone does. No one will do anything about it because he's rich."

"Your opinions are useless." Azalea walked around the room. "I am doing you a favor by arranging this marriage."

"I don't love him," Serena said.

"Love doesn't matter," Azalea said.

"It matters to me," Serena said.

Azalea scoffed. "Why? No one will love you. You're nothing but a pathetic half breed."

Serena crossed her arms. "I am very well aware of what I am. And there is someone who loves me. My father and…" She cut herself off. Azalea still didn't know about Luffy. And she wasn't going to let her aunt learn about him. Not, at least, until he arrived.

"Your father is a despicable pirate," Azalea said. "They know nothing of love."

"You're wrong," Serena said. "He loves me. And he loves my mother."

"If that were true he would have  _loved_  your mother," Azalea said. "I know you're nothing but a lowly White Dwarf but at least use the correct tense. Your mother is  _dead_."

Serena gritted her teeth. If only she had enough magic to lash out at Azalea. If only she wasn't this weak.

Azalea sighed and walked back to Serena. "Though I will be sad to see you go. You've been such a wonderful help around the house and with the girls. I know they will miss you as well."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to teach them to harass the staff instead of me," Serena said. She shook her head. "You're right. I might as well thank you. By forcing me into this false marriage I at least get away from  _you_. The only times I'll have to deal with you is when you come to seduce Keres' father."

Azalea flushed with anger.

"What are you getting so upset? Everyone knows you're a slut." Serena smirked. Her aunt raised her hand. This time she wasn't going to let it happen. Reaching up she blocked Azalea's slap. Sure it was a low blow but it was an honest one. She wasn't dumb. She knew exactly what her aunt did went she left and she knew the definition of slut. Her anger slowly ebbed when she noticed a confused stare on her aunt's face. She followed Azalea's stare to her arm. Her own eyes widened in shock. Her hand down to three inches from her elbow was coated in a familiar black sheen. She had just awakened armament haki.

"Well, looks like the White Dwarf has armament haki." Azalea pulled her arm back. "It matters not. You're still a pathetic weakling."

Serena pulled her arm closer to her eyes. The haki vanished.

"I'm so glad to be rid of you," Azalea said between gritted teeth.

"The feelings mutual," Serena said lowering her hand back down. She wasn't sure if her haki could help here against Azalea and the guards, but she was going to try when Luffy got here.

Azalea turned on her heels and stomped to the doors. "Open up!"

The doors open. Azalea marched through the doors, disappearing down the hall.

Serena watched her go. The doors shut. Once again she was alone. She didn't get much time to process what happen. The doors were opened again and a small group of tailors walked in.

"Excuse me," one said. "We are here to fit you for your wedding dress. My name is Margaret. Let's get to it. We don't have all day."

Serena rolled her eyes. Of course they didn't have all day. It was night after all. Still she didn't say it out loud. It wouldn't do any good. So she stood there and allowed them to take her measurements, as she stood there like a breathing mannequin. The rest of the night passed by with a flurry of silky fabric, flowers, menus for food, and the naming of names off the guest list. She had no idea why they were telling her all of this since she wasn't allowed to make any of the decisions for the wedding. It took her about an hour to realize the decisions for the wedding weren't being made by Azalea or Keres. They were being made by Keres' mother.

"So how is it going?"

Serena looked up. Keres' mother was standing in the door in her nightgown and robe. Her once tight bun now fell loose around her shoulder. A look of contempt was on her slim face.

"Very well, Mrs. Everhart," Margaret said. "The dress will be done in time."

"Good." Mrs. Everhart nodded.

Serena eyed Mrs. Everhart. One thing she liked about the woman was she didn't talk much. Though she wasn't sure if it that was Mrs. Everhart's nature or if she was just being controlled by her husband and son. Whenever they were together Keres and his dad were the ones always doing the talking and making the decisions.

Without another word, Mrs. Everhart turned and left the room.

Serena's attention went back to the dress being pinned and tugged on. It was a lovely dress that hugged her chest and stomach. Pearls were being attached around her hips where the bodice met the skirt of the gown. The front of it was too revealing for her liking, but she didn't bother saying so. There was no point.

So the night went off with her being silent as the tailors worked like buzzing bees to get her ready for tomorrow.

…

Luffy's smile brightened as the Sunny finally ascended into the New World. The sun beamed down on him. This was finally it. After the rough journey on Fishman Island they were taking the next step of their journey. It had finally begun. And he was finally going to see Serena. He was going to finally have his longest friend on his ship, on his crew. So much joy bounced around in his chest. "This is so exciting!"

"We finally made it," Nami said.

"I can't believe it," Usopp said. "It's taken so long to get here."

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. "I hope we're strong enough to survive here."

"Don't worry, Chopper," Franky said. "This is going to be super fun!"

"It was super back on Fishman Island." Sanji hung over the railing, shrouded in a cloud of depression. "Why did we have to leave?"

"Get over it," Zoro said.

"Shut up!" Sanji growled at him. "We were in heaven! How could you take me away from there?!"

"Okay," Nami said. "We're a bit off course. Franky, turned the ship three degree northeast."

Upon hearing his navigator Luffy grabbed Sunny's flames and flung himself to the deck of the ship. Landing with a thud he asked, "Will that take us to Hydra?"

"Hydra?" Nami looked at her captain.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded. "That's where Rena lives."

"Most likely not," Nami said. "I have no idea where Hydra is. We're new to this place after all. We have to follow the pose to keep safe."

"No!" Luffy shouted. His joy of seeing his friend was dwindling fast. "I want to go to Rena! I promised her! I promised that we'd come get her today!"

"Luffy, you don't have to act like a child," Nami said.

"We have no choice," Robin said. "We have to follow the log pose or we'll get lost in this place."

"But Rena is waiting for me!" Luffy said. "It's been years since we've seen each other!"

"Stop yelling," Sanji said. Shoving his hands in his pocket he walked over to his captain. "We'll eventually get to Hydra. It's not like its just a few minutes away from here. Or is it?"

"I actually don't know where it is," Luffy said. "I've never been there."

"Then we have to wait until the eternal pose guides us there," Sanji said.

"No!" Luffy stomped his foot. "I told Rena I'd come as soon as I came to the New World! I promised her! And I never break a promise, especially when it's to her! We're here now so we're going to go get her!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Usopp crossed his arms. "You don't know where her home island is."

"I don't know," Luffy said. "I just want to go get her. So let's go."

"You are impossible." Usopp shook his head.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get there?" Brook asked. "And who exactly is this girl?"

"She's my friend!" Luffy said.

"So she lived in Windmill Village?" Brook asked.

"No," Luffy said. "She lived with Shanks on his ship."

"She lived with Shanks?" Franky asked. "Why would she be living on an emperor's ship?"

"Because she's his daughter," Luffy said.

"What?!" Brook and Franky gasped.

"Serena, the girl you talk about all the time is Shanks' daughter?!" Franky pushed up his sunglasses and looked at his captain. "Seriously?"

"Of course!" Luffy grinned. "She's really strong!"

"I guess Luffy never mentioned that since you two have been onboard," Zoro said. He sat down on the deck and leaned against the wall.

"Amazing," Brook said. "I never knew he had a daughter. So why isn't she with him instead of being on Hydra?"

"I don't really remember, but her mom died," Luffy said. "After that she went back to Hydra because her aunt wanted her to. I haven't seen her since. But we've kept in contact since then."

"How have you kept in contact?" Franky asked.

"We talk." Luffy smiled.

"Well, that's obvious," Franky said. "But how? I've never seen you on a transponder snail talking to her. And none of our transponder snail can reach into the New World from the other side."

"We don't use a transponder snail," Luffy said. "We just talk to each other."

"That's not possible," Franky said. "You can't just talk to someone without them being near you or through a transponder snail."

"But we do," Luffy said. "We talk all the time."

"That's who Luffy's been talking to when you over hear him talking to himself," Sanji said.

"That explains it." Brook took a sip of his tea. "I thought he was talking to ghosts."

"Why would you think that?!" Usopp demanded.

"Don't worry about it. We all thought Luffy was losing what little of his mind he had when we first heard him talking," Sanji said.

"So how long have you known this girl?" Brook asked.

"For many years," Luffy said. "We're the same age. Shanks always brought her to Windmill Village when she lived with him."

"I see." Brook nodded.

"You all are going to love her," Luffy said with a bright grin. "She's the best!"

"I'm sure she is," Nami said. "And I know you want to get to her as soon as possible, but it's just not possible right now. We have to follow to log pose. You know that, Luffy."

"No! We can go to her! I know we can!" Luffy said.

"Luffy," Nami started. "It's not…"

"What the heck?!" Usopp screamed as he and the other Straw Hats stared at their captain.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked when all of his friends stared wide-eyed at him. "What is it?"

"Luffy, you're glowing," Nami said.

"Huh?" Luffy looked down to find his body surrounded in a white glow. "I'm glowing?"

"What's going on?" Brook asked.

"Ah! Ghosts!" Usopp screamed. "We must be haunted by ghosts!"

"What?! We have ghosts?!" Chopper screamed as he and Usopp started running around on the deck in a panic.

"Shut up, morons. It's not ghosts," Zoro said.

"What do we do?!" Usopp asked. He hugged Chopper to his chest.

"Are we going to die?!" Chopper added.

"Amazing," Robin said as she inspected the glow around her captain. "Where did this come from, Luffy?"

"I don't know," Luffy said looking from hand to hand. "It's never happened before."

Suddenly the glow around his body spread out over the ship. The ship turned and headed east.

"What's happening?!" Nami asked.

"Who's turning the ship?!" Sanji added. They all looked up to the helm. No one was up there. They all were down on the deck.

"It is ghosts!" Usopp and Chopper said. "We're haunted!"

"The ship appears to be taking us somewhere," Nami said.

"No," Robin said. "It's not the ship. It's Luffy's glow."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Franky asked.

"The ship was sailing along with the wind until Luffy's glow spread over the ship," Robin said. "Then it suddenly turned and headed east."

"She's right," Nami said. "But why? And where is it taking us? Luffy?"

"We're going to Rena!" Luffy cheered and jumped into the air. "Yes!"

"How do you know that?" Sanji asked. He stepped over to the edge of the ship and looked over. Only water and the sky appeared. "We could be in some kind of trap."

"I doubt it," Robin said. "After all this is Luffy's glow."

"Then we have nothing to do but wait and see where we're going." Zoro closed his eyes, falling asleep in seconds.

"How can he be so calm right now?" Usopp asked.

"Do you really think we're going to Hydra?" Chopper asked.

"I know we are!" Luffy said. "I'm finally going to get to see Rena after all these years! Faster! Faster! Get me to Rena! Now!"

The ship sped up, causing the Straw Hats to lose their footing.

"Luffy! Stop doing that!" Nami said.

"No way! I want to see Rena as soon as possible!" Luffy said. The ship continued to pick up speed. Several minutes passed before the Sunny finally slowed down.

"Where are we?" Nami asked she picked herself up off the deck.

"Wherever it is we sure made good timing," Sanji said.

"I see an island," Franky said while looking through the binoculars. "Looks like we're heading right for it."

"Is it Hydra?" Nami asked.

"Yes!" Luffy said. "It has to be it! Rena's there!"

…

Serena paced the room, having lost track of time. She knew she would have been asleep but it was impossible. Not only because the dress fitting took most of the night but also because of the worry growing in her head. In just a few lousy twenty minutes the wedding would be starting. And she hadn't heard anything from Luffy. Surely he would tell her when he got into the New World. Surely he had to be there already. But then she remembered. Luffy didn't know how to get to Hydra. The log pose would take them to another island for sure. If only she could have gotten the coordinates of this island. Maybe Nami would be able to bring them here. Of course it was a long shot, but one worth taking.

"What's going on!?" one of the tailor asked. "What are you doing?!"

"Huh?" Serena turned her eyes to the tailor. She was staring at her in fear.

"Uh, are you all right? Why are you glowing?" another woman asked. The tremble in her voice was obvious. They all stepped back from her. "You're not going to hurt us, are you? We're only following orders."

"Yes, I'm fine," Serena said looking down at her glowing body. "Don't worry. I'd never hurt you. I'm not sure why I'm glowing. It's never happened before, at least not like this." Her heart skipped a beat. How she didn't know but she just knew Luffy was coming for her. Luffy was finally there. Luffy was near, if not on, Hydra. Her eyes shot to the window. Now all they had to do was get to each other. She took a step towards the window, the skirt of her dress swishing over the floor. Her movements were halted when a knock came on the door. She forced herself to turn to it. It opened and revealed Mari. "Mari!"

"Serena. Excuse the interruption but the mistress asked me to bring you this." Mari pulled out a stripe of cloth. "It's been in the family for generations. You wrap it around your bouquet."

"Could you all give us a few minutes?" Serena looked at the tailors knowing what Mari said was a lie.

"We need to make finally adjustments," Margaret said.

"No, you don't. The dress is fine. Now get out." Serena willed the glow to brighten. When the tailors scrambled around for their stuff she knew it had worked. They left the room, closing the door behind them.

"I'm so sorry!" Mari blurted out before wrapping Serena in a hug. "If I could get you out of this mess I would!"

"It's okay, Mari. It's okay," Serena said.

"No it's not!" Mari pulled back from her and started pacing the room. "This horrible."

"Mari, listen to me. It's going to be fine."

"How is it going to be fine?! You're marrying that horrible little…little…"

"Lalu's coming," Serena said.

"What?" Mari paused and looked at her friend.

Serena nodded. A bright, hopeful smile spread over her lips. "He's here. He's coming for me."

"Oh, Serena!" Mari pressed her hands to her lips. "I'm so happy for you."

Serena nodded. "I am too."

"We have to get you out of here!" Mari said.

"I know," Serena said. "But there's far too many guards around. And I don't want you getting into trouble."

"But I can't just leave you," Mari said.

"You have to," Serena said. "Not just yet though."

"What do you mean?" Mari asked.

"I don't know where Lalu is exactly." Serena walked over to the window. Looking out she found a few guests were still arriving. "I need to stall the wedding until he gets here. I'll pretend to be sick as long as I can."

"What do you want me to do?" Mari asked.

"I want you to be safe," Serena said. She walked over to Mari and hugged her. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. So come with me."

"As much fun as that sounds, I'm not a pirate," Mari said. "And I get extremely seasick."

Serena sighed. She had forgotten that about her friend.

"Don't worry," Mari said. "I'll be fine. You're the one in danger."

Serena nodded. Mari spoke the truth. "Just keep an eye on Azalea. She might be suspicious of you coming here."

"Don't worry about that. Those tailors shouldn't say anything since I told them I was sent by Azalea. And good luck." Mari shoved the cloth into her pocket before cupping Serena's cheeks. "You have grown up so well. Your mother and father would be proud of you." She hugged Serena again before leaving.

Serena watched her friend go before rushing to get the wedding dress off her. Unfortunately, the only other clothes she had with her was the dress she wore last night at the ballet. She pulled it on, went into the bathroom, and waiting for Luffy to finally arrive.


	6. Setting Sail

Setting Sail

Luffy bounced on his sandals as the island finally came into view. Despite how fast the Sunny was moving it still wasn't fast enough for him. A few more yards and he'd finally be close enough to fling himself to the island.

"Wow!" Usopp exclaimed while he glanced through the binoculars at the island.

"What is it, Usopp?" Nami asked.

"The island! It's covered in some kind of white stone!" Usopp said.

"What do you mean?" Nami moved closer to the sniper.

"Take a look for yourself." Usopp handed her the binoculars.

Nami looked through them and gasped. "Wow! They look so amazing! I wonder how much they're worth! They're everywhere!"

"If they're everywhere then most likely they don't cost much if anything," Sanji said.

"You're probably right," Nami said. "It looks like the whole island is made from that type of stone. I wonder what it is."

"We'll know soon enough," Robin said. "We're about there."

Luffy threw out his hands and the Sunny's figurehead. "Gum Gum Rocket!" He launched himself through the air. Laughter erupted from his chest as the island grew closer and closer to him. "Rena! I'm coming for you!"

Luffy slowed down once over the island. Landing he skidded over the rocky ground before coming breaking into a run. "Rena! I'm here!"

…

"Luffy! Come back here!" Usopp screamed. But it was too late. Their captain was already closer to the island than they were. The glow around the ship disappeared, slowing it back down to normal.

"And there he goes," Chopper said.

"He's always in such a hurry," Brook said.

"Might as well follow him." Franky headed up to the helm. He took a hold if it and guided the Sunny to the island. "You know he's going to get himself into trouble."

The pirates waited for the ship to dock at the island. Once it did Zoro dropped the ladder and they climbed down it to a point of the island jutting out into the ocean.

"This place is creepy," Usopp said. "It kind of feels like we're on the moo-" Walking only a few steps, he slammed into something hard. "Ouch! What the heck?!"

"What's wrong now?" Zoro asked.

"I can't move any farther." Usopp placed his hands on whatever he ran into. "There's some kind of invisible wall here. Or something."

"Invisible wall?" Zoro blinked.

"He's right." Sanji held out his hand, feeling whatever it was that kept them from entering the island. "There's something here."

"An invisible wall?" Nami asked.

"How is that possible?" Brook asked.

"Maybe this place is haunted after all," Robin said.

"Don't talk like that!" Usopp snapped.

Sanji pulled back his leg and kicked it. His foot collided with the invisible wall with a dull thud. Nothing happen. He huffed. "Well, that's annoying."

Zoro pulled out his swords and sliced at the invisible wall. Nothing. Not even slices appeared anywhere. "Hm?"

"Okay then. Neither Zoro or I can break this thing," Sanji said. "So how did Luffy manage to get through it without any problems?"

They all exchanged looks. No one had an answer.

…

Serena continued to pace the bathroom as she waited for Luffy to come to her. She had heard him. Luffy called for her. He was coming for her. He was so close now. She hoped he would be here soon. If only there was some way she could track his position.

"Miss Serena?" a maid's voice came with a knock on the bathroom door. "The wedding is about to start. You need to come out here."

Serena didn't answer. She knew she couldn't, not yet. She had to buy as much time as she possibly could.

"Miss Serena," the maid said. "Are you all right in there?"

"Yes, I'm all right," Serena said. "Just a case of cold feet and nerves. Give me a few more minutes."

"Very well, Miss," the maid said. "I'll inform the master and mistress."

"Great," Serena grumbled while looking out the window again. The guards were still there, keeping a close eye on things. "I can't stall forever."

A few minutes passed before another knock on the door interrupted her watching and waiting. This time the familiar, angry voice of her aunt came to her. "Serena! Get out here now! Don't you dare ruin this! It's for your own good!"

"I'm not ruining anything," Serena said. "I'm nervous. I don't think it would be a good thing for the bride to throw up on the groom. Do you?"  
A moment of silence. "Fine! But don't you dare try to escape!"

"Where would I go? You've got guards standing watch on the inside and outside of this room," Serena said.

"And don't you forget it," Azalea said. "You're not getting out of this. So stop being such a brat and get out here."

"I'll come out once my stomach settles down," Serena said. "Everyone can either wait for me or just leave. I don't care either way."

"Fine! But you had better not take more than ten minutes!" Azalea said. "If you go over a single second I will have the guards break down the door and drag you out of there!"

Serena didn't doubt it. But surely Luffy will get there by that time. She knew he was coming closer. He was so close now. "Lalu? Where are you?"

_"I'm not really sure," Luffy said. "I'm running passed a giant statue."_

"You're in the middle of the city then," Serena said. "Run to the northwest. That's from the statue's right shoulder. If you can run straight as possible you should get to my location soon. I'm at the Everhart estate on the same side. There are some guards standing outside the room I'm in. If you can find them you'll find me."

_"Okay! I'm coming!"_

Serena bit her bottom lip. It was going to be such a close call. She tried to calculate the distance between the middle of the city to Keres' home. But she had no idea how fast Luffy could run or fling himself. She told herself it didn't matter. No matter where she was Luffy would come to her.

The seconds ticked one after another. One minute went by, then three minutes, and then five more. Her time was almost up. The last minute she had was quickly dwindling. Thirty seconds…twenty five…

A knock on the bathroom door was followed by a sharp, "Serena!" Azalea had returned. "I have the guards! Come out here now!"

Fifteen…

Someone pounded on the door.

Ten…nine, eight, seven, six…

"Lalu." Serena clasped her hands together, closing her eyes tightly.

"Break it down!" Azalea screamed.

Five, four, three, two…

Two loud bangs sounded in the room at the same time. Glass shattered to her right.

Serena jumped away from the flying glass, but not soon enough. Several pieces ripped through her skin and dress as she landed on the floor. The doors creaked, barely hanging on to their hinges.

"Who the heck are you?!" Azalea asked.

Serena looked up. Luffy was flying through the air.

"Rena!" Luffy grinned. "I found you!"

"Lalu!" Serena screamed. A bright grin spread across her lips. Her heart leaped excitingly.

Luffy's grin faded at the blood leaking down Serena's skin. "What?! Who hurt you?!"

"It's fine, Lalu," Serena said. "Just scratches. We have to get out of here!"

"Right!" Luffy nodded.

"Hold it!" Azalea said. "Just who the heck are you?!"

"Huh?" Luffy looked to Azalea.

A large lump formed in Serena's throat. She had to stop Luffy from telling Azalea who he was. With his name Azalea would be able to track down Luffy too easily. She launched herself off the floor and threw her hands up to the guards and Azalea's eyes. Flaring up her glow she temporarily blinded them. As they screamed she turned to Luffy and said, "Don't worry about them. They're no one important. But let's just get out of here before they try and arrest you for breaking the wall."

"What?! Okay!" Luffy scooped her into his arm and ran through the hole he made in the wall.

Serena sighed with relief when Luffy did as she suggesting. She knew he loved to fight, especially when his friends were in danger. Luckily it didn't appear to him that she was in danger.

"After them!" Azalea screamed.

Serena glanced back over her shoulder. More guards were closing in on them, fast. "We need to go faster. Hold on, Lalu. I'm going to fly us."

"Really? Okay," Luffy said.

Serena closed here eyes. Summoning all the strength she had she lifted both herself and Luffy into the air. Suddenly, a surge of magic flowed through her. For the first time since she had been forced back to Hydra she felt as if she could fly around the entire world and fight against the guards at the same time. It was odd rush but she knew she didn't have time to figure it out or second guess it. Instead she harnessed it and flew fast and hard. Her hair fell loose from the wind whipping around them.

"Wow! We're actually flying again! It feels so good!" Luffy said.

Serena glanced down to the island. They were in the air about fifty yards. Her smile grew. She was actually doing it.

A ball of light flew passed them causing her to lose her concentration. She jerked, expecting to plummet towards the ground. But it didn't happen. She remained steady.

"What's going on?" Luffy turned to see the guards coming towards them. "Who are they?"

"Those are guards. They're angry you broke the wall," Serena said. "The owners of the mansion are very rich. And they're not very fond of pirates. You know, typical pirate stuff you deal with all the time."

"Is that so?" Luffy spun his body around. "Hold on, Rena!"

"What are you doing?!" Serena gasped and tightened her hold on him.

"Gum Gum Gatlin!" Luffy threw out his punches before she could stop him. His fists landed on the guards following them.

Serena's heart hammered against her chest. He moved so fast. But apparently it was the right move. Every single one of the guards dropped like rocks.

"Yeah! Take that!" Luffy threw his hands in the air.

Serena sighed. At least the guards weren't expecting Luffy. He was able to stop them before they could use the full force of their magic on them. All they had to do now was get to the ship before more guards came. "Where's your ship?"

"That way." Luffy pointed to the area he came from.

Serena nodded and silently wished to get there faster. Much to her surprise, their bodies picked up speed. The city blurred around them. And before they knew it they were landing near the ship. "What the heck?" She looked back towards the city. It was no longer insight. Confusion filled her. "How did that happen?"

"You flew us here of course! You're amazing, Rena! We made it!" Luffy said once his feet tapped the ground.

"Hey! Luffy!" Usopp shouted.

"That was…" Serena turned back to Luffy. Somehow she had managed to get all the way here without losing any amount of magic. She lifted her hands and looked at them, wondering if she got a surge of magic because she wanted to be with Luffy so much.

"I take it that's Serena," Nami said.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.

Serena dropped her hands back to her sides. Her eyes locked onto the Straw Hats as they ran over to them. They were just as Luffy described them to her. She shifted, feeling suddenly self-conscious about meeting these people.

"So you're Serena," Franky said.

"Uh, yeah." Serena nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you all. Lalu's told me all about you."

"Everyone, this is Serena," Luffy said. "She's my girlfriend so be nice to her."

"What?! Your girlfriend?!" they all, but Robin shrieked. "You never told us that!"

Luffy laughed. "I didn't?"

Serena shifted under their gazes as they looked between her and Luffy. "Oh, don't take it seriously. Lalu just called me that one day when we were kids." She shrugged. "He's been calling me that ever since. But I'm not sure if he really knows what a girlfriend is."

"That makes sense," Zoro said.

"Hey, Rena, right? Can you tell us why we can't get onto this island?" Usopp pressed his hand against the shield. "See? There's something keeping us from going any farther."

"Can we talk about that later?" Serena glanced over her shoulder. No one was coming. Yet. "Lalu caused a bit of trouble back there. We need to go before the guards come and arrest him."

"Of course he did." Nami sighed and crossed her arms.

"Let's set sail then!" Luffy cheered. He grabbed Serena's hand pulled her to the ship.

"Seriously," Usopp said. "How can you two pass through the shield?"

"Come on," Sanji said walking passed the sniper. "You heard the captain. His  _girlfriend_  will answer our questions later."

Serena hammered down her nerves as they climbed up onto the ship. She stood near the railing as the crew ran about in getting the ship ready to sail. Her eyes kept going to the island. Any second now the guards would be bearing down on them. Turning her eyes away from the island she found that the cook, Sanji, was staring at her.

"You look nervous," Sanji said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Serena said.

Sanji gave her a skeptical look.

"It's just the people here have a gift," Serena said. "I know you all aren't prepared to deal with it. I just don't want you all to get hurt because Lalu came to get me and caused an issue."

"Don't worry about it," Sanji said. "We're tougher than we look. And we're use to Luffy causing us trouble."

Serena nodded. She knew that. Luffy had told her all about them. But still, there was the fact they had never dealt with anyone like her people. Finally, the ship pulled away from the island. Several slow minutes later the island completely vanished. Only fifteen minutes later she finally allowed herself to relax. They weren't coming after her. For now. Hopefully never again.

"Excuse me," Chopper said.

Serena turned to the reindeer.

"I'm the ship's doctor," Chopper said. "Would you please let me take care of your wounds?"

"Oh, I forgot about them." Serena sat down. "I know who you are. I know all of you. Lalu has told me all about you and what all you do on the ship. You're Tony Tony Chopper from Drum Island. I'm Serena."

"Serena?" Chopper glanced up from digging in his bag. "I thought your name was Rena."

"Only Lalu calls me that," Serena said. "My actual name is Serena. So please call me that."

"Oh, I see," Chopper said with a nod.

"And why do you call Luffy Lalu?" Usopp asked.

"It's just a nickname." Serena shrugged. "I don't really remember why exactly or when I started calling him that. I just always have."

"So how did you get the wounds?" Chopper asked.

"Oh, it was an accident," Serena said. She watched him dip a cotton ball into some disinfect then onto the first cut. It stung but she kept her facial features normal. "Things got a little crazy when Lalu broke into the mansion."

"Figures he'd do that," Zoro said.

"What were you doing in a mansion?" Nami asked.

Serena kept her eyes on Chopper's hooves as they disinfected and bandaged her cuts. "I was attending a wedding of a friend."

"And you just left it?" Nami asked. "Shouldn't you go back?"

"No, it's fine," Serena said. "The friend is more of a friend of my aunt instead of me. I only met him a few times. I really didn't want to go to it so it doesn't matter that I left so abruptly. I won't be missed. Trust me."

"That's good to hear," Chopper said. "We wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"Don't worry about it," Serena said. "My aunt doesn't care one bit about me."

"What do you mean?" Brook asked.

Serena mentally slapped herself. She didn't mean to say that. "Oh, well, I just mean I'm not really her favorite person in the world. She didn't approve of my mother's marriage to my father. Lalu did tell you who my dad is, right?"

"He sure did," Usopp said. "And you really do look like your dad. Well, all but for your eyes. They're such an odd color."

"I got them from my mother," Serena said, looking around the deck. Surprisingly there was a tree with a swing on it and grass. Looking up she could see more trees with tangerines hanging on the branches. Never before had even thought about having trees and grass on a ship. Even when Luffy told her about the Sunny she found it hard to believe, despite knowing Luffy would never lie to her. Franky really did go all out for this ship.

"There," Chopper said. "All finished. They should be fine now but let me know if anything becomes infected."

"Thanks," Serena said. "Lalu, would you mind if I borrow some clothes? I'd really like to get out of this dress."

"Sure." Luffy nodded.

"Hold on, Luffy," Nami said. "Serena can borrow some of my clothes."

"Really?" Luffy turned to his navigator.

Serena stood up. "That's okay. I don't mind wearing Lalu's clothes."

"It's no problem," Nami said. "My clothes will fit you better than his."

Serena eyed Nami's curvy body. She wasn't so sure about that. Just by looking she could tell that Nami's breasts were larger than hers.

"Come on. I'll show you to my and Robin's room." Nami waved her hand.

Serena followed after her. The navigator went up a set of stairs and into the only door on the bow side of the ship. She stepped into the room. It smelled nice with a light coat of some perfume lingering in the air. The room itself was nice as well, a lot nicer than she would have ever imagined with plenty of closet space and even two chairs and a table near the corner. The only odd thing she found about the room was the bed. There was only one. Despite it being king sized she assumed there would have been two since there were two women on the ship. "It's nice."

"You'll be sleeping in here with us." Nami stepped over to the closet and opened it. "The bed's big enough so don't worry about that." She tossed Serena wink over her shoulder. "But leave my treasure alone. And since you're new here I won't even charge you for renting my clothes."

Serena blinked before remembering this woman had a thing for money. She was going to have to get herself some new clothes before Nami changed her mind. "Great. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it."

"Here these should fit well enough." Nami held out a pair of cut off shorts, sandals, and a black tank top.

"Thanks for letting me borrow some clothes until we get some for me," Serena said. "I'll be sure to return them as soon as possible."

"It's okay. It'll be a while before we end up at another island," Nami said. "Help yourself to our clothes. Robin won't mind either. Though mine will probably fit you better."

Serena nodded. Nami had a point.

"I'll let you get dressed." Nami left the room.

Serena exhaled before changing clothes and fixing her hair back to normal. Pulling the shirt over her chest it was confirmed her chest was smaller than Nami, though not by much. She checked her reflection in the full length mirror before stepping outside, pausing to look down at the pirates. They looked so comfortable scattered about the deck. She wondered if it was possible for her to actually become friends with them. She also wondered how long it would be before Azalea found her. Maybe she wouldn't. Maybe her aunt would finally get tired of her enough to just leave her alone. "Yeah." She nodded. "Azalea has no reason to come after me. I'm nothing but a burden to her. She won't come for me."

"Hey! Rena!" Luffy waved to her. "Come on! Let me show you around the Sunny!"

"She just got here, Luffy," Usopp said. "Let her get settled in a bit."

"But she has to see the ship! She's going to love the Sunny!" Luffy said. "Right, Rena?"  
"I'm sure I will." Serena walked down the stairs. "Okay. Let's take a look around."

"Yeah!" Luffy grabbed her hand and pulled her to a door on the main deck. Entering into the room she was greeted by a musty smell. She knew it was the men's quarters. "This is where we sleep."

Serena eyed the hanging bunks, just enough for the men, before looking passed them. They also had individual closets. Well, they looked more like lockers than closets.

"Now for the most important part of the ship." Luffy pulled her back out the door and up the stairs opposite from the women's bedroom and into another room. "The kitchen!"

"I should have known. You love to eat." Serena chuckled. The kitchen was amazing. Not only did it have a bar one side of the table it also had a couch on the other side.

"Come on!" Luffy pulled her back out the door.

Serena followed along quietly as Luffy showed her every single room on the ship. The last place they went to was the soldier dock system. She squealed when the mechanics turned and she saw the shark submerge. "It's so cute."

"I'll take you out on it some day," Luffy said.

"You go out in this thing?" Serena whipped her eyes to him. Her heart hammered her chest. "But that's dangerous. You're a devil fruit use, Lalu!"

Luffy laughed. "Don't worry about it. The shark submerge is very reliable."

Serena nodded, though it didn't put her at ease one single bit.

"Let's go back to the deck," Luffy said. "There's one last place I want to show you. It's the best spot on the Sunny."

"You've already shown me the kitchen, Lalu." Serena smiled.

Luffy laughed. "Not that. It's another place."

Serena nodded and followed him back up the ladder. Reaching the deck he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bow of the ship. Then he scooped her in his arms and jumped up on the figurehead. The ocean spread out in front of them. "Wow! It's amazing!"

"I knew you'd love it," Luffy said sitting down with her by his side.

"I do." Serena nodded. She closed her eyes as the salty air blew through her hair. The familiar thrill of being out on the ocean washed through her, pushing all the bad things in her life away. She was finally free once again. Here she would be safe. Never again would she go back to Hydra and her aunt. "I can't believe this is actually happening." She looked at Luffy. "We're finally back together, Lalu."

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded. "Of course we are! I told you I'd come for you!"

"You always keep your promises," Serena said. "That's one of many things I love about you."

Luffy nodded with a laugh.

The sound of his laughter and the look of his smile sent her heart fluttering like butterflies. In the moment she realized that Mari was right. She was in love with Luffy. She wondered when and how that happened exactly.

The two turned their attention back to the horizon. Several minutes passed before a thought came to her mind. "Oh."

"What is it, Rena?" Luffy asked.

"I just realized I don't have anything to add to the crew," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Crossing his legs, Luffy grabbed his ankles and stared at her.

"Well, everyone on your crew specializes in something," Serena said. "Nami is a navigator and grows tangerines. Chopper is a doctor and has his devil fruit. Brook is a musician and a fighter who also has a devil fruit. Franky takes care of the ship and has his cyborg body to fight with. Sanji cooks and uses his feet as his weapons. Robin has knowledge of history and is an archeologist with a devil fruit. Zoro is a swordsman with amazing fighting skills. Usopp is the sniper. You're the captain. You have a devil fruit and are one of the main fighters. I don't specialize in anything. I'm not a good fighter since I never learned. And I can't control my magic all that well."

"You're going to be fine," Luffy said. "You don't have to specialize in anything to be on my crew."

"But I don't want to cause you trouble," Serena said. "If I can't defend myself then you'll always have to rescue me."

"You're not going to cause me any trouble at all." Luffy grinned. "I want you here. And you're a good fighter. You're Shanks's daughter after all."

"I might be the daughter of an emperor but that doesn't automatically make me a fighter." Serena shook her head. "I never learned how to fight because Azalea wouldn't let me do anything."

"You are my magician then!" Luffy said. "You have your magic!"

Serena couldn't help but laugh. "Leave it to you to make things sound so simple."

"You can use your magic to help the crew," Luffy said. "I know you can."

"But you know I'm not stable," Serena said.

"You'll be fine," Luffy said.

"You're a hopeless optimist," Serena said. "You know that, right?"

Luffy just grinned.

"Well, either way I need to learn how to fight," Serena said. "I recently unlocked armament haki so I can do something with that."

"You have armament haki? That's cool!" Luffy said.

"No objections to me learning how to fight?" Serena asked.

"Of course not. My crew and I can help with that," Luffy said.

"Good." Serena looked back out at the horizon. Her mind recalled a little bit of fighting knowledge her dad and crew taught her when she was a kid but that had been so long ago she knew it wouldn't be enough. And since her magic was unstable she needed to learn how to use a weapon, especially since she  _was_  an emperor's daughter if nothing else. People would target her because of that. But what would suit her best? She knew she didn't want anything to do with swords. And Usopp and Nami hand the long-range weapons covered. So what did that leave for her?

"Hey!" Sanji's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you two going to come down from there? Lunch is ready!"

"Yeah!" Luffy jumped to his feet then held out his hand. "Let's go!"

Serena took his hand. He pulled her to her feet before sweeping her into his arms. In seconds he ran over the figurehead, pass the helm, and down the stairs to the deck where the cook had set everything outside.

"Since it's such a nice day I thought we'd eat outside," Sanji said.

"Great." Luffy sat down with Serena on his lap.

"Uh," Serena said. "I can sit in my own chair."

"I don't mind." Luffy grabbed a sandwich and shoved it in his mouth.

Serena shifted uncomfortably when she noticed the rest of the crew staring at them. "Something wrong?"

"No, not really," Nami said.

"It's just that it's so weird," Usopp said.

"I can't believe he's actually doing something like this," Franky said, pushing up his sunglasses.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

"Letting you sit on his lap like that," Zoro said.

"You really find it that odd?" Serena asked.

"With Luffy? Yes," they all, but Robin, said.

"Well, we have always had an odd relationship, I guess," Serena said. She looked at Luffy. He nodded and smiled as he continued to eat. Grabbing a sandwich she took a bit. The favors burst over her tongue. "Wow. This is amazing. I know Lalu said you were a good cook but I didn't know you were this good."

"I am a world class chief," Sanji said.

Serena looked at the blonde man. While his words were a normal response there was something in his tone that was off to her. She went over all the information Luffy had given to her about him. While being a chief, Sanji also fought with his feet to protect his hands from injuries, he was always girl crazy, and he had observation haki. Her heart skipped a beat. People who used observation haki can look at a person's spirit. Was it possible that Sanji could tell something about her life on Hydra just from looking at her? She couldn't remember what all her dad told her about that type of haki.

"So what's Hydra like?" Chopper asked.

"Hydra?" Serena forced her eyes to the reindeer.

"We noticed that the island was made of white stone," Brook said. "Is there a reason for that."

"Oh, well, I guess so," Serena said. "Our history books say that Hydra fell down from the moon."

"The moon?" Nami asked.

"Supposedly that's also where our magic came from," Serena said. "Though I'm not so sure I believe it. Our magic is closer related to the stars than the moon."

"Interesting," Robin said. "I'd love to study more of Hydra's history."

"I wish I could help," Serena said. "But that's all we really know. Other than my mom's family being the ones to first find Hydra."

"So you're human?" Usopp asked.

"I am." Serena nodded. "It's said that the island had a glow around it when it first landed. When our family's ancestors found it the glow began to seep into them and they ended up with all this magic."

"So what all can you do with your magic?" Nami asked.

"Well, we can create this white fire glow." Serena held up her hand. A white flame appeared hovering over her palm.

"It's so hot." Nami shifted back.

"This white fire doesn't hurt any Hydrians," Serena said before shifting the flame into a sword. "But when we change the same into a weapon we can hurt each other. We can fly and also form meteors as well as grant wishes."

"What?! You can grant wishes?!" Nami shrieked. "That's amazing! Serena, please! I wish for a ton of gold!"

Serena sighed as her glow appeared around her. In two seconds piles of glittering gold landed on the Sunny's deck with a single loud thud before several mini jingles of the coins as they tumbled down the piles.

"Yeah! So much treasure!" Nami picked up an armful of gold and threw it into the air. "I'm so rich!"

"Wow! I've never see so much gold in my life!" Usopp said.

"Well, take a good look," Serena said. "It's about to be gone."

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked seconds before the golden piles vanished from the deck.

"What?! No!" Tears streamed down Nami's cheeks. "My gold! What happened?!"

"I'm sorry," Serena said. "I'm unable to make wishes stay around for very long. With the exception of Lalu's."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"Lalu?" Serena turned to him.

"Rena! I wish for ten pieces of meat!" Luffy said.

Serena nodded. Like the gold the meat appeared, but on the table. Luffy grabbed a piece and shoved it into his mouth.

"We Hydrians have limits on our wishes," Serena said. "No one can make gold actually stick around at all. It's also impossible for us to kill with wishes made. We can't force people to fall in love or control them. And we can't grant eternal life. But there's more to it for me than just those limitations." She pursed her lips.

"And what's that?" Chopper asked.

"I'm a half breed," Serena said. "I'm unstable because my mom and dad both weren't Hydrians."

"Luffy did mention that Shanks was your dad," Chopper said.

"Yeah." Serena nodded. "While little is actually known about Hydra, we do know that only a few families managed to obtained the glow from the island. That magic passed down from generation to generation."

"Haven't there been other half breeds on Hydra?" Brook asked.

"There was one other." Serena nodded. "And he died when he lost control of his magic."

The pirates paused and stared at her.

"Don't worry about it," Luffy said. "Rena's going to be just fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

Serena shifted when they didn't look away from her. "Sorry. I'm not going to explode or anything."

Slowly the pirates looked away from her and focused on eating instead.


	7. Life on the Sunny

Life on the Sunny

Serena opened her eyes to the swaying of her room. She stared at the wooden wall before realizing it wasn't the color the walls in her room should be. With a panicked gasp she shot up in bed, knowing Azalea was going to be extremely upset that she wasn't home. The door swung open, revealing an orange haired woman. She jumped at the unexpected intrusion.

"Sorry, Serena," Nami said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Serena took a couple slow breaths. "It's okay. I just forgot where I was for a moment. What time is it?"

"Almost ten o'clock." Nami walked into the room and over to her closet.

"Ten o'clock." Serena ran her hand through her messy hair. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept in. She had no idea why she slept in. "It doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't make sense?"

Serena looked up to see that Nami was now standing by the bed, staring down at her. "Oh, I just mean that I don't sleep in. I'm usually up with the sun or before it rises."

"I see," Nami said. "Well, you just seemed extremely tired. So we let you sleep. Though Luffy has been a pain. He wanted to wake you up."

Serena nodded, unsure of what she should say to that.

"We managed to distract him with fishing," Nami said. "He, Usopp, and Chopper are still doing that now."

"Sorry that he caused you so much trouble," Serena said.

"Don't worry about it." Nami waved her hand and walked towards the door. "We're use to Luffy. But you might want to hurry up and get dress before Luffy comes running in here. Don't want him to see you naked while you're changing." She winked before disappearing through the door.

Serena tilted her head. It wasn't an easy concept to think about. Luffy coming in here when she was changing her clothes? She wondered how she would react. Never before had she thought about a boy seeing her naked. Of course the only one she's ever lived with was her uncle, excluding the time she lived with her dad and crew. And he was gone most of the time. But when he was home he never came up to her bedroom. Actually, no one except for Mari came to her room. Still, Luffy seeing her naked didn't bother her, at least in thought. The only way she'd know for sure was to have him see her that way. It wouldn't happen though. Or she didn't think it would.

Standing up she stripped off her borrow night clothes and pulled on another pair of shorts and tank top from Nami's side of the closet. Sunlight poured over her when she opened the door, causing her to close her eyes before they could adjust to them. After a few seconds she was able to see again. The crew was spread across the deck like they were yesterday. Franky appeared to be the only one missing.

"Hey! Rena!" Luffy waved from the railing where he was sitting like Nami said. "You're finally awake! Why did you sleep so long?!"

"Beats me." Serena walked down the stairs. "I guess I was just tired."

"How could you be tired when you were at a wedding yesterday?" Usopp asked.

"Well, it's not like I'm always at weddings." Serena crossed her arms. "I do have chores I had to do. And quite a lot of them. I had to clean the house, work in the gardens, clean the stables, and even cook when my aunt gave the staff time off."

"Oh?" Zoro grinned. "Maybe you should work like that here. We don't want you to get bored."

"I'll help where I can," Serena said. "But I refuse to be a slave."

"Why would you say that?" Sanji asked.

"Oh, well, I didn't mean anything by it." Serena stretched out her body. The sun warmed her skin. She had meant for it to come off as a joke but clearly that didn't happen. She looked at the blonde haired man. He was just staring at her, studying her. "What?"  
"Nothing." Taking a puff of his cigarette he turned away from her. "Since you didn't have breakfast I'll make you a snack to hold you over until lunch."

"Don't worry about it," Serena said. "I don't want to put you out. If I get hungry I can make my own snack."

"I wouldn't think of it," Sanji said, tossing her a light frown over his shoulder. "It's my kitchen. I'm the cook so I'll do it."

"So basically you don't want me in your kitchen," Serena said.

"That's not what I said," Sanji said.

"Looks like you upset her," Zoro said.

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped.

"I'm not upset at all. And I'm not hungry anyway." Serena headed for the bathroom.

"It's no trouble, Serena," Robin said, lowering her book to her lap. "Sanji cooks for us all the time."

"Yeah." Nami nodded. "He was going to make us a snack anyway. It's no trouble for him to make one more."

"Sanji's food is the best! You should eat," Luffy said. "You haven't eaten anything since last night."

"Okay." Serena nodded before entering into the bathroom. After using the facilities she splashed some water on her face then stared at herself in the mirror. Her chest was still filled with frustration from her little confrontation with Sanji. She exhaled. "Just relax. Everything is fine. He doesn't know anything. He couldn't know anything. And you don't have to get along with them all. It's normal some people won't like you."

With a firm nod she left the bathroom.

"Serena!" Nami waved to her. "Come sit with us!"

Serena walked over to the two female pirates and sat down. She smiled when her eyes lock with Luffy's. When the young man went back to his fishing she turned to the women.

"So how was your first night here?" Nami asked.

"Did you sleep well?" Robin added.

"It was fine. And I did." Serena nodded. "Again, sorry I slept for so long. It shouldn't happen again."

"Don't worry about it," Nami said. "We all have our sleeping patterns."

"I know. And it might have just been because it was my first night back on a ship," Serena said. "Since I was born on a ship I'm use to the swaying of one. And I suppose the smells lulled me to sleep too."

"So you were born on Red Hair's ship?" Robin closed her book.

"I sure was," Serena said. "Mom didn't want to leave the ship much once she got use to Dad."

"Sounds like they didn't always get along," Nami said.

"From the stories I remember, Mom often thought Dad was a immature goofball with the inability to think things through. But she eventually fell for his childish, laid back nature. She really loved how devoted he was to his friends." Serena rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands.

"Well, from what we've seen so far," Zoro said, "you don't seem to take after your dad with your personality."

"I've been told I get my personality from my mom and my looks from my dad," Serena said. "Well, I have been told they both were very determined and stubborn. So I think I'm more of a mix of them."

"I think single children often resemble both their parents equally," Nami said. "But that's not always the case. I suppose it doesn't really matter. You're your own personal after all."

"You're right." Serena smiled.

"This is so boring!" Luffy then said.

"Looks like the fish just don't want to bite today," Chopper said.

"We haven't caught a single fish all day," Usopp said.

"We need to go on an adventure," Luffy said.

"Well, the log pose is still in position," Nami said looking at her wrist. "All we can do is wait until we get there."

"That's no fun. Hey!" Luffy jumped off the railing and ran over to the door in the floor that led to the soldier dock system. "Franky! I want to take Rena out on the shark submerge now."

"Just give me a little more time." Franky's head popped out of the little hole. "I'm performing some maintenance on the shark submerge. Once that's done we can take her out for a test ride. It should be ready to go after lunch."

Serena watched the shipwright, wondering how his massive body managed to get into such a small hole.

"Ah." Luffy's shoulders slumped. "I want to go now."

"We can wait, Lalu," Serena said. "The sub isn't going anywhere."

"Okay." Luffy walked over to the table. Lifting her into his arms, he sat down in her chair before placing her on his lap.

Serena shifted when the pirates gave them confused looks.

"It's ready," Sanji announced as he came out of the kitchen with a tray of parfaits in hand. "Delicious tangerine parfaits."

"Thank you, Sanji," Nami said as the cook passed the parfaits out.

Serena mumbled her own thanks before taking a bite. A burst of tangy orange flavor erupted on her tongue. She bit back a hum of delight. It wasn't surprising how good it was with how good Sanji's sandwiches were. He was by far a better cook than the ones back at the mansion. And despite how often Luffy told them they ran out of food she could tell that Sanji kept this crew well fed.

"So Luffy told us you've decided to take up fighting." Usopp said.

"I have to if I'm going to keep up with you all," Serena said. "I know the seas are dangerous."

"Any idea of what type of fighter you'd like to be?" Nami asked.

"Not really." Serena tapped her spoon on her lips. "I know it'll take a while to build up enough physical strength to fight people out here on the sea. So I think it might best to work on a long range weapon while I'm building up some fighting skills."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Nami said.

"Is there a specific weapon you wish to use?" Brook asked.

Serena glanced at the skeleton. "I'm not sure."

"A bow and arrow might work for you, especially since you have armament haki." Usopp said. "You can coat the arrows in your haki and make them stronger."

"That's an idea," Serena said. "Though I don't have money to buy them."

"No problem." Usopp winked and pointed at himself with his thumb. "I can help with that."

"You can make them?" Serena asked.

"Of course I can." Usopp nodded. He pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and started scribbling in it. "I made Nami's staff after all. And you'll want something that suits you. Something light weight and collapsible so it won't get in the way."

"I never would have thought of that," Serena said.

"Usopp's great," Luffy said. "He'll have you a weapon made in no time at all."

"I'd really appreciate it," Serena said. "I don't have any building skills, but if there's anything I can do to help you…"

"Don't worry about it." Usopp waved his hand in dismissal before glaring at Nami. "As long as you pay me later for the supplies."

"What?" Nami blinked.

"I will." Serena nodded. "I promise as soon as payday comes, or however it is you handle the money here, I'll pay you."

"We divide up the treasure equally," Nami said. "And I give the boneheads of the crew an allowance so they don't over spend."

"I see," Serena said. "Good to know."

…

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Luffy cheered. Lunch had just ended for them and he was ready to take Serena out in the mini sub.

"How can he always have so much energy?" Nami asked as they all filed out of the kitchen.

Serena paused. Turning back to Sanji she wondered if she should offer to help clean things up. He was still at the sink washing the dishes. She turned away when she remembered their minor confrontation. She should give him his space for now. Once he became more use to her being around she'd offer her help then.

"Must be all that meat he eats," Usopp said.

"Just get him out of here so we can have some peace for a while," Zoro said. "Is the shark submerge ready?"

"Just a few more minutes of tinkering and she'll be ready to go," Franky said before disappearing below deck.

Serena sat down on the mast bench; listening to Brook play his violin while Luffy fell asleep on the deck at her feet. She smiled down at him. "Sometimes I get jealous with how easily he can fall asleep."

"I know the feeling," Usopp said.

"You? You fall asleep just as fast as he does," Nami said.

"I do not," Usopp said.

"You do too," Nami said. "Sometimes you two are like twins."

"She's right," Zoro said leaning back against the Sunny, hands behind his head.

"Don't even start, Zoro," Nami said. "You sleep all the time."

"What ever." Zoro dug his finger in his ear.

Serena sat quietly; watching as the Straw Hats started arguing who slept the most. It was cute and amusing to her. The sight made diluted memories of her dad's crew fighting. These people were clearly family. She knew Luffy called them his friends, but the bond was there. It also made her wonder how her relationship was going to really be with them, if she got to stay with them for a while and if she allowed herself to opening up to them about her life on Hydra. Her smile faded a bit. Hopefully she had given them enough about her life on Hydra they wouldn't ask anymore about it.

"She's ready!" Franky then announced.

"Yeah!" Luffy jumped up from the deck, instantly awake from his nap.

"That was quick nap." Serena stared at her friend. "I guess something's really do never change."

"You can count on Luffy for that," Nami said.

"Let's go!" Luffy grabbed Serena's wrist and pulled her off the bench. Once again she was pulled into his arms before he jumped up and into the hole leading to the soldier dock system. He sat her down.

"You sure know how to get to places quickly," Serena said.

Luffy grinned.

"Let's get going," Franky said. "I want to see how she handles now."

Serena followed Luffy as he scrambled up the shark submarine and into the mini water vessel. Reaching the floor of the mini sub she looked around. She didn't have a clue what she as looking at with all the unfamiliar buttons and switches.

"Come sit here, Rena," Luffy said.

Serena turned to find him patting one of the seats in the front. She sat down. Luffy sat behind her while Franky sat in the seat beside her.

"And here we go!" Franky said while tapping and flipping buttons and switches.

The sub hummed to life. With some clicks and the sound of rolling wood, a door opened in front of them. Franky launched the sub. They went out a few feet before lowering into the water. Serena's eyes lit up upon seeing all of the sea life swimming by them. "Amazing!"

"First time going under the sea, huh?" Franky asked.

"It sure is," Serena said. "I mean I've swam in the sea before but this is completely breath taking. It's definitely different from using goggles to see. I love it."

Franky laughed. "Well, if you like it so much then I'll teach you how to drive the sub."

"Really?" Serena looked at him, wide eyes.

"Of course." Franky smiled at her. "You're part of our crew. So why not?"

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "Rena's going to pilot the sub!"

"Okay, okay," Serena said. "Calm down, Lalu. Let's get started."

"All right then," Franky said before going over the controls of the miniature submarine.

Serena followed his instructions carefully. Once he had explained what everything did, she took over the controls.

"There you go," Franky said. "Now you've got it. You're a natural."

"Well, it's a little easier than I thought it would be," Serena said as she guided the sub through the water. She was careful. Though she thought it was uncalled for. Out here in the wide-open ocean there wasn't much for her to hit. After a couple hours they headed back to the ship. She docked the sub and they exited. "That was amazing! Thanks for teaching me how to drive the sub."

"No worries. We'll get in some more training later," Franky said. "And who knows? You might become an expert."

"Maybe." Serena shrugged.

"You want to train now?" Luffy asked.

"Sure." Serena nodded.

"Let's go then." Luffy grabbed the ladder and started climbing up. He opened the door. Bangs of a hammer on something greeted them.

Serena followed after him. Upon the deck she found the noise was coming from Usopp. Unfinished arrows were scattered around him on the deck.

"So how did it go?" Nami asked.

"Did you have fun?" Chopper added.

"It went great," Serena said. "I had lots of fun. Franky showed me how to drive the sub."

"We're going to train now," Luffy said.

The Straw Hats paused. Robin lifted her eyes from her book. Their eyes widened in shock as they looked to Luffy then to Serena.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked.

"You're going to train with Luffy?" Zoro asked. "Do you have any idea the kind of fighter he is?"  
"Of course," Serena said. "I've trained with him before. Well, sort of. We did it when we were kids."

"Things are different now," Nami said. "Luffy's a lot stronger than he was back then."

"It'll be fine!" Luffy smiled and put his arm around Serena's shoulders. "She's my girlfriend after all. I'm not going to hurt her. Right, Rena?"

"Yeah." Serena nodded. "Let's get started."

"Chopper, you better stand by," Usopp said. "Serena might need your doctoring skills."

"I'm ready!" Chopper nodded firmly while holding his medical bag.

Serena rolled her eyes at them but smiled. As Luffy took his stance she turned to take her own. She paused when she saw moment above her. Looking up she found Sanji had his arms crossed over the railing. His eyes were intense and focused on her, but his expression was unreadable. She swallowed. Turning away from him she readied herself for a fight.

Luffy charged forward and threw a punch at her with striking speed despite the fact he was holding back his full power.

Serena felt something take over her body. She knew exactly what she was supposed to do. Her body jerked to her right, easily avoiding Luffy's punch as it flew past her head.

"Not bad, Rena," Luffy said pulling his fist back. "You dodged that easily."

Serena smiled.

"I'm going to throw this one a little faster. Be ready." Luffy threw another punch at her.

Once more she dodged his punch easily despite the increase of power behind the punch. That time she was sure that her body remembered the details that her dad and her crew had taught her about fighting when she was a kid. Though she had no idea how that was actually possible.

"Looks like you might have remembered some things your dad taught you after all," Luffy said.

"So it looks like it," Serena said. She rushed towards him, throwing punches. He easily blocked her attempts at landing a punch on him with a flick of his wrists. She knew he would easily stop her. And that was fine. This was just practice to see what she could do and to get stronger. In time she would get up to his level and really be able to go head to head with him.

"Keep your shoulders tight against your sides," Luffy instructed as she continued her assault on him. "You're holding them out a bit too far."

"Right." Serena nodded. She pulled in her elbows. Instantly her punches got better and stronger.

"That's it," Luffy said. "Now add in some kicks."

Serena nodded again. She threw a couple more punches at him before kicking up at his shoulder.

Luffy grabbed her ankle. With a quick jerk, he flipped her body through the air.

Air left Serena's lungs when she collided with the deck.

"Ack! Sorry, Rena," Luffy said. "I didn't mean to toss you that hard."

"It's fine, Lalu." Serena stood up. "Don't worry about it. Let's keep going."

"You got it." Luffy nodded and took his stance again.

Serena started again. During a session of her kicks and punches Luffy finally started throwing some back at her instead of just blocking them. A few times he got close to hitting her, but she managed to just barely dodge them.

"Not bad," Zoro said.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised," Brook said. "She does have the blood of an emperor flowing through her veins."

"She must have inherited Red Hair Shanks fighting abilities," Nami said. "I wonder how powerful she'll become."

Luffy and Serena paused.

"Rena will be come strong," Luffy said. "She'll be as strong as her dad."

"It's possible but also not possible," Robin said.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"Men typically have an advantage over women since men are physically stronger," Robin said. "And her dad, if I recall correctly, has conquers haki. It all really depends on how smart a person is and how they utilize their abilities."

"I see," Chopper said. "That makes sense."

"It doesn't matter to me." Serena shrugged. "I only want to get strong enough to help keep Lalu safe. And you all as well, of course. I know how much Luffy cares about you all."

"You're going to be fine," Zoro said. "But that doesn't mean you need to slack off on training. And to help you I'm going to let you use my weights. The lighter ones I still have around here. You need to build up your body strength."

"Thanks, Zoro," Serena said.

"Don't take me yet." Zoro's lips curled into a slightly malicious grin. "You're going to work harder than you ever have in your entire life."

"Wonderful." Serena's eyes dropped down to Zoro's chest. He was by far the most muscular of the crew, and probably of every man she had ever seen. Suddenly her confidence plummeted.

Zoro laughed. "Don't worry. I won't work you into the ground. I know you're an amateur. You're no where near my level."

"How kind of you." Serena smirked.

"We can all help train you," Usopp said. "Once I get your bow and arrows done I'll be the best to help you learn how to use them."

"Thanks, everyone," Serena said.

"Let's get back to it," Luffy said. "You have a long ways to go yet."

Serena nodded. They started sparring once again. A couple hours later they took a break, got some water, and then Luffy started training her again. They worked their way around the deck as they traded punches and kicks. Just before Sanji called that dinner was ready they had stopped for the day. She laid on the deck, panting hard from her work out. "Man…that was tough. I think I'm going to be very sore tomorrow."

"You should take a hot bath later to relax your muscles," Chopper said. He walked over to her. His eyes ran over the bandages on her arms. "I should change those after dinner. After your bath would be better."

"Sure thing, Chopper." Serena pushed herself up.

"Let's eat," Sanji said.

"Food! I'm starving!" Luffy jumped up then offered Serena his hand.

Serena gladly took it. She stood up and followed him to the kitchen. This time she was sure to sit down in her own chair on his left side. She was so hungry, but she ate slowly.

"Who's on guard duty tonight?" Franky asked in the middle of dinner.

"I am," Robin said.

"Me too," Brook added.

Serena blinked in confusion for a moment before remembering they needed people up at night to make sure no other pirates or navy snuck up on them. "So when should I start standing guard at night?"

Everyone paused. No one answered right away.

"I would be best if you got stronger before standing guard at night," Sanji said.

Serena twisted her lips to the side. That wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"Why not?" Nami asked. "She's part of our crew now. Don't you trust her to have our backs?"

"This has nothing to do with trust, Nami," Sanji said. "It's just she has no experience doing that. Sometimes an attack can happen so quickly that experienced fighters are caught off guard. She should work up to being on guard duty."

"Then what do you suggest?" Serena started down the table at Sanji.

"Stand guard for a few hours when our stronger fighters are on duty," Sanji said.

"So when you, Zoro, and Luffy are on duty I can be too," Serena said.

"Like I said, it has nothing to do with trust," Sanji said.

"I never said it didn't." Serena frowned. She was starting to have second guesses of ever being friends with this guy. She felt like she was going through some kind of test of trust with the cook but quickly reminded herself that trust and respect are earned not given.

"Uh, it's a good idea," Nami said. "We can rearrange it so Zoro and Luffy are on duty tomorrow night. That way she can start getting some experience."

"Fine." Sanji stabbed his fork into his food.

The atmosphere shifted to a tense one after that. The only one who didn't seem to notice was Luffy. The captain continued to dig into his food. Serena sighed. She wished she was more like Luffy in the moment. Forcing her mind off Sanji she focused on eating and listening to the Straw Hats talk rather than speak herself.

"I think I'm going to take a bath now if that's all right," Serena said as they walked out of the kitchen.

"We're not going to train more?" Luffy asked.

"Not tonight," Serena said. "I don't want to over do it or anything."

"All right then," Luffy said.

"I'll see you in a while, Lalu." Serena waved to him before heading up to the women's quarters to get her clothes. After that she headed towards the washroom. Reaching the ladder in the library she placed her hand on it and paused. Her mind swam around Sanji and his hostility towards her. She had no idea what to do with him. Would it be all right just to leave things as they were? Should she confront him about it? Should she speak to the others about it?

She shook her head and climbed up the ladder. Placing her clothes on the vanity, she turned on the knobs to the tub. Reaching her desired temperature, she plugged the drain to allow the tub to fill up. Steam lifted into the air as she disrobed. Turned her back to the mirror she lifted her hair and looked at her scar the best she could. From what she could tell it was healing just fine. Though she should have brought some salve with her. She would have if she had only known, had only thought to keep some with her. If anything happened to her back she would have to tell the doctor about it or risk getting an infection.

"Don't worry about that now. Nothing bad will happen," Serena told herself. "If we are involved in a fight you know Lalu won't let you get hurt. Just relax and enjoy your bath."

She crawled into the water. The heat rushed her skin, pushing her thoughts of Sanji and her back from her mind. She allowed herself to enjoy a good soak before pushing through with her bath. Climbing out of the water she dried off, dressed, drained the tub, and then left the room. The cool air felt good on her hot skin as she stepped back outside. Her body was aching a bit from her training but she felt good despite that.

The Straw Hats were once again scattered around the deck when she found them. This time she decided to sit down on the deck with Luffy. As she did he laid his head on her lap. She smiled when he gave her a goofy grin. And once again the crew gave the two strange looks. She didn't care. It felt good to have Luffy this close to her. Her fingers soon found their way into his hair. Working her digits through his scalp he eventually fell asleep on her lap. Her heart skittered as she watched him sleep.

"He's so comfortable with you," Usopp said.

Serena nodded before looking at him. "Is that odd?"

"A bit," Usopp said while he continued to work on her weapon. "He's not the type to fall asleep on someone's lap. I guess you two really bonded despite not being close. You know, Luffy never had really said how you two were able to speak to each other through your minds."

"I've been wondering about that as well." Brook leaned closer. "How is that possible?"  
"I don't know either," Serena said.

"You don't know?" Robin asked.

"I don't." Serena shook her head. "We've just always been able to do it. That's odd. You'd think something so abnormal like that I'd be able to remember how and why we can do it." She laughed. "I guess we're just odd."

"I can believe that," Usopp said before focusing fully on his task.

Serena hummed. With her fingers still running through Luffy's hair she thought about her bond to Luffy. She tried to remember exactly when she and he started to be able to speak to each other through their minds. Nothing came to her. All she had on that was a black spot inside of her memories. Her eyebrows kneaded in slight confusion. There had to be some memory about it somewhere inside of her head. So where was it?


	8. Hot & Cold

Hot & Cold

"Rena!" Luffy screamed.

Rena turned around just before Luffy wrapped his arm around her waist. He threw his free arm up to the crow's nest and pulled her up there with him. They landed with a thud. His arm tightened around her to make sure she didn't slip.

"Look!" Luffy pointed out to the horizon. An island slowly came into view. "We're there!"

"It's only been five days. I didn't think we'd reach an island this soon," Serena said.

"Well, we have. And now you can get some of your own clothes," Luffy said.

Serena glanced at him. "You almost sound like you're jealous."

"I am not." Luffy pouted. "I just want you to have some of your own clothes."

"Okay, okay." Serena nudged him. "I'll get some of my own clothes while we're here."

"Good!" Luffy grinned before jumping them back to the deck.

"Ah!" Nami screamed when they landed. "Luffy! Don't do that!"

"Sorry!" Luffy laughed.

"How can you be so calm when he flings you around like that?" Nami asked.

"I don't know." Serena shrugged. "I just trust him, I guess."

"Well, I guess your trust in him goes deeper than mine," Nami said. "I hate it when he does that to me."

"There's also the fact that Serena can fly," Usopp said. "If something does happen she can easily get out of it."

Serena dropped her eyes to the sniper. He was putting the finishing touches on her bow and arrows. Soon he would be giving her lessons on how to use it. "I don't think that has anything to do with it. I'd trust Lalu no matter what."

"Then you're braver than I am." Usopp laughed. "I also don't like it when Luffy takes me flying. I think none of our crew likes it." He glared at Luffy. "Mostly because he takes us by surprised when he does do it."

"What?" Luffy blinked when Usopp glared at him.

"Lalu's just wild." Serena grinned. "I love it! It's freedom."

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded.

"You two are such a strange couple." Nami leaned back against the railing. "I can't wait to see how your relationship develops now that you're here."

Serena nodded. She too was wondering about that. They seemed to be physically closer than the rest of the crew. No one else held hands or sat on anyone's lap. It made her wonder if they were going to develop into anything more than friends since they were together now or if she was just wishing it would happen like that.

A few minutes later Franky guided the ship to the island. "Perfect. The water's deep enough we were able to pull up to the shore. The town's close by too. Though I think I'll be staying on the Sunny. There's nothing I need."

"I'll be staying too," Usopp said. "I can't think of anything I need or want either. Besides I want to keep working on these arrows. I'm making some special attack and defense ones."

"Should I be worried about that?" Serena asked.

"No," Usopp said. "I'm just fixing some to toss out nets and smoke and some hot pepper ones. You know, things that can help escape when it's needed. I figured you wouldn't want to kill if you could avoid it."

"I see," Serena said.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Zoro said.

"Don't get lost." Sanji smirked.

"Shut up, you stupid cook." Zoro grabbed the rope ladder and threw it over the side. It whacked against the side of the ship before settling down. He then slung his leg over the side.

"I'm going shopping with Rena!" Luffy announced.

The Straw Hats froze, their mouths agape. Zoro paused, half hanging over the railing.

"Is something wrong?" Serena took in their shocked expressions.

"Luffy never wants to go shopping, especially when it comes to clothes!" Nami screamed. "Chopper! Hurry! He must be sick!"

"I'm on it!" Chopper leaped up. Grabbing Luffy's shoulders he pushed his captain to the deck and instantly shoved a thermometer in his mouth before checking Luffy's heartbeat.

"What is it, Chopper? Is he dying?!" Usopp asked.

"Everything seems normal," Chopper said, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"What's the big deal?" Serena asked.

"Didn't you hear me? Luffy never wants to go shopping! This isn't normal!" Nami said.

"Maybe but things are different now," Brook said. Everyone glanced at the skeleton. "I know I'm still rather new to the crew, but I think we've all seen a change in Luffy since Serena has been onboard the ship."

Everyone looked at her. "Uh…sorry? I'm not doing anything to him. I'm just here."

"A person's presence can often alter another person's behavior," Sanji said. "Most likely that's all that's happening here."

"Possibly. But Luffy and Serena haven't seen each other since they were kids," Franky said.

"But they have been talking to each other. I just think you all are making a big deal out of nothing. Nothing special is going on here," Sanji said.

Serena felt stung by his words. She didn't know why. He had a point. Her relationship with Luffy wasn't special. Well, it wasn't outside of their bond.

"Whatever. I'm going shopping now. I'll see you all later." Sanji climbed over the railing and disappeared.

"We should get going as well," Nami said looking at Robin.

"Of course." Robin nodded. Closing her book she placed it on the table and stood up.

"I think I'll go with you too. I'm still a bit concerned about Luffy," Chopper said.

"That's so cute." Serena bent down to the doctor. She patted his hat. "You're a really good doctor, aren't you? You worry even when nothing's wrong."

"Don't think that will flatter me, you jerk!" Chopper flushed. His body twitched in a happy dance.

Serena laughed. She had almost forgotten Luffy told her about that little happy dance Chopper did when someone gave him a complement. She was glad she got to see it.

"Shall we be off then?" Robin asked.

"I'm ready," Nami said.

"Let's go." Serena stood up.

"Hey! Fly us, Rena!" Luffy took her hand in his.

"Sure. You three want to fly with us?" Serena asked.

"No thanks," Nami said. "I'll stick to my normal way of getting down."

"I'll be taking the ladder as well," Robin said.

"I'll fly with you!" Chopper said.

Serena nodded. She held out her hand for him. When Chopper took it, she engulfed herself and them in her glow.

"Wow!" Chopper said when they lifted into the air. "I can't believe I'm actually flying! This is so much fun!"

"Rena is great, isn't she?" Luffy laughed.

Serena glanced down to make sure Robin and Nami were now on the island. They were. So she went ahead and started flying towards the town. When she got ahead of them she flew upwards, taking Luffy and Chopper into the clouds before dropping back down to see how far the women had gotten. After a while they reached the town and she sat them back down on the ground. She didn't want to draw much attention to them since they were pirates. It didn't look like anyone saw them flying. The townspeople were busy bustling around each other, talking, and making purchases to pay them any attention.

Serena's heart jumped when Luffy's fingers laced in between her own. She glanced up at him. He was grinning like a cheshire cat. Without a word the two walked into the bustling streets.

"Wow. There are a lot of shops here," Nami said after a couple minutes of scanning the stores.

"I'm not sure where to start looking," Serena said. "Shopping's not really my thing. My aunt had a habit of picking out all my clothes for me."

"She sounds so overbearing," Nami said.

"She was." Serena nodded.

"You didn't get to pick your own clothes? And I thought the doctor was tough on me," Chopper said.

"It wasn't so bad," Serena said. "The clothes fit and did what they were suppose to. So I can't complain about that part."

"Well, that's true," Chopper said.

"This one looks nice." Robin pointed to a building with a white door.

"It does. Let's check it out." Nami led the way into the store.

The first thing Serena noticed when she entered into the store was the smell of perfumes mixing together. It tickled her nose. Giving her nose a good brush with the back of her hand she walked farther into the store. Clothes of all styles were hanging on racks and folded on shelves. Women were scattered in the room but far enough apart it wasn't over crowded.

"So what are you looking for?" Luffy asked.

"Something practical," Serena said. "I'm not use to wearing dresses and skirts. And since we have to fight it'll be better if I avoid those. I don't want to get slowed down or anything."

"Sounds logical," Robin said.

"I really like the shirts and shorts Nami's let me borrow. I think I'll get some of my own. And I should probably pick up some winter clothes if we can find some," Serena said. "I'm sure we'll run into some cold islands at some point in time."

"I know we will. I can from a snowy island after all," Chopper said. "I can't wait to get to another one."

Serena nodded. That statement was obvious considering Chopper was a reindeer. Cold weather suited him best. It made her wonder how she would fair in cold weather. Hydra was a warm weather island so she had no experience with cold islands. And if she had been on a snowy island when with her dad she didn't remember.

"I think you should wear black and red and blue," Luffy said.

"Black, red, and blue?" Serena looked at the rack of clothing he was looking through. The black and blue she could get on board with. But the red seemed a bit much since her hair was red as well. "I'm not sure about the red. It might blend in with my hair too much."

"Aw, come on." Luffy pouted. "Just get one the same color as my shirt. We'll match then."

"Well, we'll see if we can find one that dark," Serena said.

"Yes!" Luffy nodded.

"Wow! This dress is so cute!" Nami squealed.

Serena tossed the navigator a glance. Nami was holding up a mini dress with a couple gold coins raining down on the front. She chuckled. Of course Nami would like a dress like that. Turning back to the clothes she started going through them, one handed since Luffy refused to let her go. Finding nothing of interest on this one rack she moved on to the next one then the next and the next. One by one she picked up a shirt here, a pair of shorts there, a few socks, and even found two pairs of shoes. One was a black pair of sandals. The other was boots similar to Zoro's. She figured they would work best with most terrains so she took them.

An hour later the other two women were finally done with their shopping in this store. Nami got a couple of items while Robin didn't pick up anything. After paying for their purchases they headed out and into another store. With in just a couple of hours they went into nine different stores. Serena's body was starting to drag. "I never knew shopping could be so tiring."

"It can be if you're not use to it," Nami said while looking through some shirts.

"I think I'm about ready to head back to the ship," Serena said.

"Well, you can if you want. But you still don't have an outfit similar to Luffy's," Nami said before pulling a shirt off the rack. "I think I might have found it."

Serena looked at the shirt in Nami's hand. It was a button up crop top.

"And I found a pair of shorts that will work," Chopper said.

"Even though I agreed to this I still feel like I've been conspired against," Serena said.

"You should try it on," Robin said.

"Okay." Serena took the clothes from them and walked with Luffy over to the changing rooms. Pulling back the curtain she turned to Luffy. "Uh, you're going to have to wait out here."

"Aw, man." Luffy released her hand.

"I won't be long." Serena stepped into the changing room pulling the curtain behind her. Within a minute she had her clothes changed and stepped out. "What do you think?"

"You look just like Luffy," Nami said observing the outfit.

"You think so?" Serena looked down at her clothes. They outfit was similar to Luffy's, but it was also different. His was open in the front while hers was clothes. Her shorts were just cut offs with the fringes left on. She highly doubted she could pass as a female Luffy.

"Well, it's as close as can be. After all you two have different eye color, hair color, and skin color," Nami said. "And there's the fact you're a girl and he's a boy."

"All you need now is a straw hat." Robin smiled.

"I think a straw hat would look cute on you," Chopper said.

"I haven't seen any." Serena looked around. None of the stores they had been in had straw hats. And she was certain that they wouldn't have one similar to Luffy's.

"That's fine. You can wear mine any time you want." Luffy took off his hat and placed it on her head. "It belongs to your dad after all. So it's basically your hat too."

"That's sweet, if not crazy." Serena smiled. "But I like this outfit. And like I said before I can wear Luffy's clothes if I wanted." She looked at Luffy. "Right?"

"You bet!" Luffy nodded. "You can wear them any time you want!"

"Shall we get going then?" Nami asked.

"As long as that going takes us back to the ship," Serena said.

"I still have some shopping left to do," Nami said.

"And I want to look at the bookstore before we leave," Robin said.

"You go on then. I'm going to take my purchases back to the ship," Serena said. "I think I have all I need for now."

"Okay then," Nami said.

After paying for their purchases the small group stepped back out into the sun. They waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Serena looked at Luffy. He was carrying two of her four bags in one hand while holding her hand in his free one. "You don't have to come with me."

"I don't mind," Luffy said. "I don't have any other shopping to do."

"All right then." Serena faced forward.

"So how do you like our crew?" Luffy asked.

"They're nice," Serena said. "A bit rough around the edges in places."

"They like you too," Luffy said.

"Not all of them," Serena mumbled before she could stop herself.

"Who doesn't like you?" Luffy looked at her.

"Never mind. I was just thinking out loud," Serena said. "I only mean that we have only known each other for a short time. We still have a long way to go to really get to know each other and become friends. Come on. Let's get back to the ship."

Luffy nodded.

Serena exhaled with relief when he didn't push the matter. Clearly he didn't notice any kind of tension between herself and Sanji. That was a good thing. She didn't want to cause any kind of fights between them. She knew if it came down to it Luffy would choose her over the others. She didn't want that. She didn't want their bond to come between the bonds he had built up with the rest of his crew. She would not be responsible for that.

Reaching the ship they climbed on board. Usopp was still working on her weapon while Franky had fallen asleep under the tree.

"Back already I see," Usopp said.

"I'm apparently not the shoppers Nami and Robin are," Serena said. "I'm going to put my stuff up."

"Okay." Luffy released her hand.

Serena headed up to the women's quarters. Stepping inside she walked over to the closet and placed her clothes inside before heading back out to the deck. As she walked down the stairs she found that Luffy already had fallen asleep on the deck. She shook her head at him. "I wonder if that's a normal nap or if shopping with me wore him out."

"Quite the guy, isn't he?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah." Serena stretched out her tired body. She was about to lay down with Luffy when Sanji landed on the deck, arms full of shopping bags.

"I'm back," he said.

"We noticed," Usopp said.

Serena watched the cook walked past her. When he did one of his bags tipped in her direction. Her hands shot out. She grabbed it before it fell to the floor.

"Sorry about that," Sanji said.

"It's okay. I'll carry it for you," Serena said.

"That's not necessary." Sanji frowned.

"I don't mine." Serena headed for the kitchen, not giving him another chance to object. She placed the bag down on the bar since she didn't know where anything went.

Sanji stepped into the kitchen. He placed his own bags down and started putting things away without a word or look in her direction.

"You don't like me," Serena said. She hadn't meant to ask so bluntly. But now that the words were hanging in the air between them there was nothing that could take them back.

"I don't know you," Sanji replied shoving some canned goods onto a shelf before going back to the sacks.

"True," Serena said. "But it's not like you're trying to get to know me like the others. So why? What did I do that you dislike me so much?"  
"You lied to our captain." Sanji paused and looked directly in her eyes. His eyebrows knitted. His lips curled down into a frown.

Serena felt herself twitch under his harsh gaze. "What are you talking about?"  
"I don't know exactly what it is but I can tell you're hiding something," Sanji said. "It's obvious in the way you always skirt around everyone's questions. And what you do answer you're very vague."

"So? Don't you have secrets you keep from your crew? Have you told them everything about  _your_  past." Serena crossed her arms. She knew he hadn't. Luffy had told her all they did know about their cook. He was born in the north blue but grew up in the south blue while working at the Baratie. Nothing was mentioned about his birth family or his life in the north blue. "What about your family? Who are they? I know the crew doesn't know about them."

"It's not the same."

"It's  _exactly_  the same," Serena challenged. Her voice rose, as did the heat in her chest. How dare he blame her for keeping secrets when he was doing it to? The hypocrite. "Only the crew knows about my parents. They don't know about yours. And don't say that cook you were raised by at the Baratie is your dad. I'm talking  _biological_. So what's your secret? What are  _you_  hiding from them?"

"Don't you dare turn this around on me!" Sanji snapped. Heat rose in his eyes, matching the heat that was in her chest. He rounded the bar and crossed his arms so he matched her stance. "Your relationship with Luffy is different than mine. It's obvious how much you care about him."

"What do you mean?" Some of her fire died down.

"Don't play dumb with me. The others, especially Luffy, might not see it yet, but I can see it clearly. You don't just  _love_  Luffy. You're  _in love_  with him."

Serena swallowed. Was it really possible for this man to see that? Was it part of his observation haki? She wished she could remember how exactly that haki worked. Or was she just that easy to read when it came to her feelings about Luffy? "S-so what? People fall in love all the time. It doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"Oh please." Sanji reached out and poked her on the shoulder. "I doubt that dummy captain of ours realizes it yet, but I'm fairly sure he feels the same way you do."

"You don't know that," Serena said.

Sanji snorted. "Yes. I do. He acts completely different with you than any other girl he's met. And there's also the fact that you're also very different from the first couple of days you've been on the Sunny."

"What do you mean by that?" Serena asked. Her arms fell to her sides. She hadn't changed. Had she? "I'm not different."

"You are. Before you were definitely overly cautious around us. Part of that is understandable since you're hiding whatever it is you're hiding. But now it's like your home doesn't even exist anymore to you. Whatever it was clearly doesn't exist in your mind right now. You're more confident with a bit of a wild air about you. It's almost as if you are Luffy."

"That's crazy. I'm nothing like Luffy. And you don't know what you're talking about! I never will forget what happened to me on Hydra! I can never forget that!" Serena's voice rose with each word she spoke. Sanji had crossed the line by saying she has forgotten what Azalea had done to her. Tears stung her eyes. "I'll  _never_  forget what she did to me! Don't you dare assume that you know me! You don't! And it's clear you don't care about getting to know me at all! And you know what? That's just fine. I don't care about you. If you want to hate me then hate me. But that makes you nothing but a hypocrite! Until you come clean about  _your_  past don't you dare lecture me about  _my_  past!"

Serena turned on her heels and marched over to the door. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. She didn't even want to see his reaction to her outburst. She just wanted away from him. On her way out she grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Huh? Something wrong, Serena?" Usopp called up to her.

Serena pressed her back against the wall. Wiping away her tears she hoped he was close enough in her direction that he couldn't see her face. Once her eyes were dry she took a deep breath and stepped closer to the railing. "No nothing's wrong. I just closed the door a little too hard. Sorry about that." Her eyes went to Luffy and Franky. Both were still snoring. "Well, at least I didn't wake them up."

"Yeah. They can be hard sleepers." Usopp turned and started working on his task again.

Serena glanced back at the kitchen door. She listened for footsteps coming closer. None came. Clearly Sanji wasn't going to come after her. That was a good thing. The crew didn't need to know about their fight. She stepped away from the door and headed down to the deck. She sat down near Luffy. When she did he moved until his head was on her lap. Smiling she tangled her fingers into his hair. The heat inside of her chest vanished now that she was with him again. "So when will my weapon be ready?"

"I'm putting the finishing touches on tonight," Usopp said. "So I can start training you tomorrow. That all right with you?"  
"Yes." Serena nodded. "You know what you're doing. I don't have a clue."

"So you really haven't had any kind of fighting lessons, huh?" Usopp said.

"Not since I was a kid. Well…" Serena twisted a strained of hair around her finger. "I suppose you could say I had a little training in these past two years. With how unstable my magic is my aunt got me a tutor. But it didn't really work out so I don't really consider it training."

"I see," Usopp said. "Well, I'd help you if I knew anything about your magic."

"Thanks. But it's fine. As long as I don't use it nothing bad will happen," Serena said. "Besides…it might be best if I didn't use it."

"What do you mean?" Usopp looked up at her.

"Not many know about the magic we Hydrians have." Serena raked her fingers through Luffy's hair. "If I use it out here while sailing I might attract some very unwanted attention."

"You have a point there. I'm sure there will be plenty of pirates who would consider your magic very appealing," Usopp said, his eyes dropped to Luffy. "And I get the feeling that Luffy would lose his mind if someone takes you away from him."

Serena hummed. She had already been taken away from Luffy once. And he was not happy about it. She felt and heard him crying through their bond. It made her wonder what would happen if she got taken away from him again. It made her wonder what would happen to her. Ever since she had been separated from Luffy there had been an empty hole inside of her chest. Now being with him that hole had disappeared without her realizing it. Worry swirled around in her chest.

"I didn't mean to worry you," Usopp said.

"I'm not," Serena said.

Usopp chuckled. "That look on your face says otherwise."

"I'm sorry," Serena said. "I didn't mean to lie like that. It's just…we were separated before. It wasn't a good time for either of us. I don't want it to happen again, especially now that Luffy's lost Ace."

"That was a hard time for Luffy." Usopp lowered his hammer to his lap. "It was even worse because we all were separated and had no idea what was going on. When we learned about Ace's death we wanted nothing more than to get back to our captain despite everything that separated us. We knew he was in a lot of pain and there was nothing we could do to help him."

Serena looked at the man. The pain Usopp was feeling was obvious. He clearly felt guilty about not being able to be with his captain and friend when he thought his captain needed him the most. "It's okay, Usopp. I might not have been there when it happened but you not being able to be there for Lalu wasn't your fault. He doesn't blame you for that."

"I know. I think we all blame ourselves for being so weak back then," Usopp said.

"But you're stronger now," Serena said.

Usopp smiled and looked at her. "You bet were are! And we're not going to let something like that happen again! We'll also keep a close eye on you! We won't let you and Luffy be separated again! I promise you that! You just relax and let us handle anyone who might try and take you away from Luffy! I won't let it happen! I am an amazing fighter after all!"

"You're sweet." Serena smiled.

…

Sanji blew out a puff of smoke as he listened to Usopp chat so friendly with their new crewmate. They seem to get alone so well for this being their first time of having a one on one conversation. He expected it since Usopp was practically as friendly as Luffy was. And he was Luffy's best friend. Why wouldn't he like Luffy's girlfriend or whatever she was to their captain? Why wouldn't anyone? Luffy clearly trusted Serena so well. Yet he didn't feel the same way. He didn't like the fact that Serena was keeping something for Luffy. What that something was he didn't know and at this rate he wouldn't ever know. All he knew was she needed to come clean with Luffy.

He pushed the door closed and walked away from it. He heard enough of Serena's conversation with Usopp.

Sanji spent the rest of the day avoiding Serena as much as possible. The only time they were together was when they ate. She didn't look at him and he didn't look at her. Luckily no one seemed to notice the cold separated the two of them. And that was fine with him.

Finally night fell and everyone went to sleep. He stood alone at the end of the ship, staring out into the moonlit night.

"Yo, bro," Franky said.

"Hey, Franky," Sanji said after blowing out smoke from his mouth.

"Are you all right, brother?" Franky asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Sanji kept his eyes out on the water. He wasn't worried about revealing anything to the cyborg since he was really good at keeping his emotions schooled in times like this. Still he didn't want to chance it.

"You just seem kind of off since Serena has been on the ship," Franky said.

"I just don't know her all that well," Sanji said.

"I find that hard to believe with how you act with women. So what's wrong?" Franky leaned against the ship. "You haven't once made that goofy face. She's rather cute."

"I just don't see her that way," Sanji said. "I guess it's because of Luffy."

"They do seemed to have a strange bond between them," Franky said. "And I'm not talking about their mind thing either."

"I've noticed that as well," Sanji said. "And I know everyone else trusts her."

"Well, Luffy trusts her. He's never steered you wrong, right?" Franky smiled.

"No, he hasn't. Well, not in the way you're talking about," Sanji admitted. "He still pulls us into danger all the time."

"Then there you go," Franky said. "All you have to do is get to know her better. Just give it a try. I'm sure you'll become best friends with her. Well, I better get back to the bow and keep watch. See you later."

"Yeah. See you." Sanji watched the cyborg go before turning his eyes back out to the dark horizon. "If only it was that easy."


	9. Storms

Storms

"Stand upright with feet shoulder width apart, and feet at ninety degrees to the target," Usopp said.

Serena obeyed his orders and separated her feet.

Usopp continued his instructions, "Keep a relaxed grip on the bow handle. Turn the bow so that it is horizontal and the arrow rest is facing upwards. Place the arrow on the shelf of the arrow rest. Push the nock of the arrow onto the string between the two brass nocking points, ensuring that the cock fletch is pointing upward. Bring the bow back to vertical. Position the fingers on the string with the index finger above the arrow and two fingers below. The string should sit in the last crease of your fingers. Do not grip the arrow with your fingers. Pull back the string using your back muscles, not your bicep or arm. Pull back the string so that the index finger of the pulling hand is under the chin, and the string touches your nose and lips. Using your dominant eye, look down the arrow and align it with the target. Relax your grip on the string and allow your fingers to slip backward. After shooting, maintain your body position."

Devouring his words, Serena followed his instructions step by step. Lining up the target Usopp had set up on the ship she exhaled slowly then released the bow. The arrow shot through the air and hit the board with a thump, completely missing the target. Groaning she tilted her head backwards in frustration. Three hours she's been at this and has yet to hit the bright red target that Usopp painted on the board.

"That was a good try. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're still a beginner," Usopp said. "And you have improved. You're getting closer to the bull's eye."

"I know," Serena said. "But I want to get this mastered as soon as possible."

"You'll get there if you keep relaxed and stop putting so much pressure on yourself." Usopp walked across the deck. He pulled the arrows from the wall and walked back over to her. "You're tensing up too much. Practice makes perfect after all."

"Maybe I need to take a break from this," Serena said. "We've been doing it all morning."

"That's probably a good idea. You seem to get more and more stressed out which is causing your aim to get worse," Usopp said.

"Then how about we move to another lesson with the sub?" Franky asked.

"Yeah! I want to go too!" Luffy jumped up off the deck.

"Sounds good to me. A relaxing cruise under the water would do me wonders right now," Serena said. She handed her bow over to Usopp before following Franky and Luffy down to the soldier dock system. Last to climb into the sub she closed the hatch tightly before settling into her chair. Luffy and Franky sat back while she took over the controls. In a few minutes the door was open and they left the ship. "Here we go."

"Take her down nice and easy," Franky said.

"Right." Serena lowered them down into the water. Instantly all the stress in her body vanished as she took in the water world around them. Fish swam by, checking out their presence before moving on.

Luffy's arms reached up and wrapped around her shoulders. He brought his lips up to her ear. "Feeling better now?"

"Yes." Serena shivered when Luffy's warm breath washed over her skin. If only the front seats could hold two people. She wanted him to sit with her so they could always be this close.

"Good! I hated to see you so stressed out," Luffy said.

"You two are super cute," Franky said.

"Oh hush," Serena said. Heat tried to rise on her cheeks but she stomped it down. She wasn't going to be embarrassed by this.

"Hey what's that?" Luffy asked.

"What's what?" Serena looked over the area. Several types of fish swam by them, but she couldn't tell what he was talking about. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"That right there." Luffy pointed. "The dark spot over there."

"Looks like it's an underwater cave," Franky said.

"Let's check it out," Luffy said.

"Is it safe enough?" Serena asked. "Will the sub even fit in there?"

"The only way to know for sure is to go look," Franky said. "And Luffy is the captain."

"Yes! Now let's go!" Luffy cheered. "Captain's orders!"

"Okay, okay. I get it. We're going." Serena angled the sub for the cave. Inching her way towards the opening she carefully glided through the opening. The lights mounted on the sub spread out over the dark cave. Several sea creatures quickly scattered away from the invading light as they pushed on through. As they glided along she noticed several other tunnels but none of them were big enough for the sub to go into. They were possibly homes to sea life. Maybe eels lived in those tunnels.

"It looks like this tunnel goes upwards," Franky said.

Serena pulled her eyes from the wall to find that he was right. The path they were on started going upwards. They followed it for four minutes the sub broke surface. Shimmering crystals sparkled in the sub's light.

"Wow! We're inside of some kind of cave!" Luffy headed for the hatch. "Let's check it out!"

Serena shut the sub off and followed after him. She paused. Not knowing what was going to happen or how long they were going to be, she grabbed the transponder snail and tucked it into her pocket before heading out. Looking around she found light was coming from another tunnel. It kept most of the crystals sparkling. "It led up back to the surface?"  
"Looks like it," Franky said.

"I wonder how far inland we are now," Serena said.

"Let's see what's outside." Luffy took Serena's hand and walked her down the tunnel.

Serena took in the walls of the cave as they went. There were scraps on the rocky walls that look as if humans made the cave instead of nature. "Do you think someone carved this cave out?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Franky said. "It sure looks like it. I wonder if they did the underwater tunnel too."

"Hm? Why?" Luffy asked.

"Maybe it was some sort of hide out. Maybe pirates did it to use as an escape from the navy? Or maybe someone else did it to get away from pirates?" Serena said. "I wonder if anyone lives on this island. It could have been used to hide from pirates."

Serena turned her attention back to the light as they drew closer to the end of the cave. A few feet before reaching it the light died down a bit.

"Is it getting cloudy outside?" she asked as they stepped out of the cave. A cool wind brushed over their skin. She glanced up. The leaves waved like wild mini flags. It gave her enough of a view to see the sky. Dark clouds had gathered overhead. Rain started falling between the leaves. A crack of thunder boomed overhead causing her all to jump. She tightened her hold on Luffy.

"Don't be scared, Rena," Luffy said. "I'm right here."

"I'm not scared. I just wasn't expecting it," Serena said. The transponder snail started ringing. She pulled it from her pocket. It clicked when she answered it. "Uh, hello?"  
"Luffy! Help us!" Chopper and Usopp screamed. "We're sinking!"

"Hm? What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"You idiots!" Nami screamed. "Ignore them. It's just a storm. We've been blow ashore. The ship slammed against a rock so we're taking on water but we're not going to sink since it's shallow here. However the storm is getting ready to get worse out here. Where are you guys?"

"We're on the island," Luffy said. "We came up this really cool cave and here we are!"

"Well, it'll be better if you stay on land then," Nami said. "I don't think this storm is going to quit any time soon."

"All right," Serena said. The snail hung up. "So what now? Should we go find them? And what about the Sunny? We can't just leave them out there."

"The Sunny will be all right where it is," Franky said. "But our friends might not be. We should find them and bring them back to this cave until the storm stops."

"Let's get going then," Luffy said just as the wind started to pick up.

Serena nodded. Tucking the transponder snail into her pocket she rushed through the forest with Luffy and Franky. Wind whipped through the trees knocking several leaves free from their branches. One landed on her face. She brushed it aside.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed through the leaves. Finally they broke out onto the beach. The storm was worse there. A huge gust of wind and rain slammed against their bodies. She tried to dig in her heels but it hit to hard and sudden. Her body flew backwards. Her feet slipped out from underneath her. Sharp pain shot through her back as she collided with a rock. She gritted her teeth and rolled onto her side.

"Rena!" Luffy called over the pounding rain.

Serena barely felt his hands on her side from the rain. Biting back the pain she sat up and smiled. "I'm okay."

"You sure? You fell pretty hard." Luffy's worried eyes locked with hers.

"I'm fine." Serena cupped his cheek. "Really, Lalu. We have more to worry about than a little fall."

"Okay." Luffy nodded. Taking her hand he helped her stand up.

Serena held tight onto his hand as they pushed against the wind and rain. Franky was a few feet ahead of them already heading for the Sunny.

"Hey! Are you all okay?!" Luffy asked when they got close enough.

"We're fine," Sanji said leaning over the side. "But the Sunny is going to get ripped to pieces if this storm doesn't quit soon."

"No worries, brother." Franky leaned down to the hole in the side. "I can have this fixed in no time. But after the storm."

"Too bad the storm's not going to let up any time soon." Zoro looked up to the sky just as a huge clap of thunder sounded. The wind howled. "It almost feels like we're dealing with Aqua Laguna again."

"This storm is howling pretty good," Franky said.

"We should move inland," Nami said. "We're going to get blown away if we stay out here."

"But where can we go?!" Chopper cried. "We're on an island! And it looks like no one lives around here! We're going to die!"

"We can go back to the cave," Serena said. "The storm isn't as violent there. We'll have plenty of shelter."

"Let's go then," Nami said.

The Straw Hats climbed down to the shore before rushing back into the forest.

Reaching the cave Luffy said, "Chopper, could you look at Rena's back? She fell before when we reached the beach."

"Sure thing," Chopper said.

"No!" Serena screamed. Everyone paused and looked at her. "I mean that's not necessary. I'm fine."

"Rena, you could have damaged something. You should let Chopper take a look," Luffy said with a stern expression.

"Lalu, it's okay. Really. It doesn't even hurt now." Serena said despite the hot pounding in her back.

Luffy frowned.

"Look, I promise if it hurts later on I'll have him take a look," Serena said. "Okay?"

Luffy hugged. "Fine. But you better say something if your back hurts again."

"I will." Serena nodded. Her eyes then caught Sanji looking at her with an accusing glare. She glared back at him then turned her back to him. Sitting down she leaned into Luffy's arm, grateful he was warmer than she was. She gnawed on her cheek, hoping she didn't do anything to really damage her back.

…

Serena watched as Luffy stuck his finger into the dirt and drew another picture. This one was a sandwich. He'd also done a piece of meat, a couple fish, some onigiri, and a straw hat in the hour they had been using the cave as shelter.

"Geez. This is getting really boring," Usopp said. "When is this storm going to end?"

"The storm does seem to be dragging on quite a bit," Brook said before pulling out his violin.

"Do you always carry that thing with you?" Serena brought her eyes up from Luffy's doodles.

"Of course." Brook laughed and started playing. A soft tune but cheerful tune lifted into the air.

"Where does he even keep the thing?" Serena blinked as she ran her eyes over Brook's boney body. There didn't seem to a suitable hiding place to hide something as big as a violin. She brushed it aside. It didn't really matter. Sitting back she listened to Brook's song. With the music time passed by a lot quicker. Even more so when Luffy jumped up and shouted for Brook to play something they could dance to. He, Usopp, and Chopper started dancing around the cave, acting extremely silly. She bobbed her head along until Luffy grabbed her hands. "Lalu!"

"Come on! Dance with me!" Luffy laughed.

"No! I don't know how to dance!" He pulled her off the cave floor and into the middle of it. Without a word he twirled her around. Her cheeks burned with heat before she gave in and started dancing around with him.

"Hey," Nami then said. "The storm's dying down."

They stopped dancing and looked towards the cave entrance. The wind had died down. And the rain was nothing more than a light drizzle. Holding hands, Luffy and Serena stepped out of the cave. She looked up to see the sun peaking through the leaves.

"Well, might as well head back to the ship and survey the damage," Franky said.

With him in the lead the crew headed through the forest again. The beach was scattered with tons of leaves and debris that had washed ashore. Even some fish were now strained on the beach.

"Oh no!" Chopper darted out to the beach. One by one he started tossing the fish back into the ocean. "Don't worry! I'll help you get back to the water!"

"Might as well help him since I don't know anything about being a shipwright," Serena said. "Oh. What about the sub?"  
"She'll be fine right where she is. We can get her later," Franky said. "Right now I need to take care of the Sunny."

Serena looked over at the ship. They were about thirty yards away from it. From that distance she couldn't tell how bad the damage was.

"I'll help Chopper and Rena," Luffy said.

"That's a good idea," Nami said. "The rest of us will take care of the ship."

With their duties set they split up from each other. One by one Serena and her group removed all the fish off the beach and back into the water. Luffy turned it into a game and tried to see how many he could throw back into the water within just a few minutes.

"You don't have to throw them back that fast," Serena said as another fish was tossed into the water. But Luffy didn't reply. He continued to laugh and bounce around the beach.

"It's fine. The quicker we get them back in the water the better," Chopper said.

"I guess you're right." Serena picked up a starfish. She walked knee high into the water before releasing it. Once they had the beach clear of sea life they started heading back to the ship. Usopp and Franky were already banging away with the repairs. "So how bad is it?"  
"Not as bad as you might thing," Franky said. "Still, it's going to take a while to get it fixed."

"No problem," Luffy said. "We can stay here until it's finished."

"How about the food?" Chopper asked.

"There's no damage to the kitchen at all," Sanji said.

Serena looked up to the ship. Sanji was looking over the side.

"We'll be fine as long as we can catch some fish and get some fruit from the island," Sanji said. "I'll go out right now and see what the island has to offer."

Serena opened her mouth to volunteer to help him, but she quickly shut it. She didn't want to get into another fight with him. It was almost a guarantee they would if they spent time alone again. So she stayed where she was.

"I'll help Sanji," Robin said.

"Oh! My sweet darling! It's so nice of you to offer to help me!" Sanji squealed.

Robin chuckled before she and Sanji took off inland.

Serena watched them disappear into the trees before sitting down on the beach. She watched Usopp and Franky work on the ship while Luffy and Chopper started chasing each other around the area before sitting down to play in the sand.

"Hey, Rena! Help us out and get us some water," Luffy said waving a bucket. "We're going to make sandcastles."

"Sure." Rena pushed herself to her feet. She took the bucket from him before heading out into the water. Scooping up a bucketful she walked back over to them. Pouring the water into the sand she went back a couple more times to the water before settle back down on the sand to help them. She molded and smooth down the sand.

"You seem pretty good at this," Chopper said.

"You think so? I haven't done this since I was a kid," Serena said. "I use to do this all the time with the crew when we stopped on islands. Though I knew they wouldn't stay around long I felt like I was making my mark on the islands by doing them."

"It's hard to imagine a tough crew like that playing in the sand," Chopper said.

Serena chuckled. "I guess you have a point. But I was their little girl. All I had to do was pull out a pouty face and the crew, including Daddy, would do whatever I wanted them to."

"I don't doubt that." Chopper laughed.

"That's my Rena." Luffy smiled.

"Finished." Serena admired her sandcastle. It was small and simple but she was proud she was able to do it again. She scratched her arms where sand had caked onto her. "I think I'm going to take a shower now. This sand is getting itchy."

"All right," Luffy said.

Serena stood up and headed for the women's quarters. Gathering her clothes she headed up to the bathhouse. Stripping off her clothes she took a look at her back in the mirror. She sighed at the bright red skin and puffy around the area where she had hit the rock. "It'll be fine. It has to be."

She turned on the shower and stepped under the falling water. Pain shot through her injury. Gritting her teeth she proceeded with her shower as quickly as she could. Turning off the water she wrapped her towel around her body and stepped in front of the vanity again. Lowering her towel she turned her back to it and looked again. The shower had only irritated the wound more. Her skin broke open and puss trickled down her back. "Just great." Suddenly the door to the washroom opened. Her eyes met with Sanji's. She scrambled to get her towel wrapped back around her. But it was too late. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to-" Sanji paused. His eyes shot to the mirror.

Serena gritted her teeth. Sanji had seen her back.

"What the…" Sanji rushed over to her. "What happened to your back?!"

"Nothing." Serena stepped away from him when he reached for her.

"Don't give me that crap! I saw that wound on your back!" Sanji reached for her again. "There's no way that came from falling on a rock!"

Serena tried to outstep him but pain shot through her back when she moved. She winced. His hand grasped her wrist. With a tug she stumbled towards him. He spun her around and all but ripped the towel off of her. She did her best to keep herself covered from his assault. "Stop that! What are you trying to do?!"

"I'm trying to look at your back, you idiot! It's infected!" Sanji said.

"That's not the point! You have no right to come in here like this! I'm not dressed!" Serena snapped.

"I have every right to come in here! We share this bathhouse! I didn't know you were in here! But now that I am you're not going to get away with lying about your back!" Sanji said.

"Just let go of me! I'm fine!" Serena tugged to get away from him but his grip remained tight. "I said let go!"

"No! Not until you get this taken care of!" Sanji said. "And just my luck. Chopper went for a walk with Nami a few minutes ago."

"Then let go of me," Serena said.

"Shut up!" Sanji pulled her towards the door.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Serena demanded.

"I'll do it myself," Sanji said.

"Do wha-" Before Serena could finish Sanji slung her over his shoulder and made his way down the ladder and into the library. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Someone was going to get an eyeful if he didn't let her go. She hoped everyone was far away from them right now. "Sanji! Put me down! Someone's going to see us!"

"And give you the chance to run away? I don't think so." Sanji left the library and took her out and in to the infirmary.

The door clicked behind them before Serena felt herself flying through the air. She landed on the bed and bounced. Twirling up right she glared at the cook. "You have no right to do this! I'm leaving!"

Sanji's eyes narrowed.

Serena halted at the harshness in his eyes.

"I will never hit a woman. But that doesn't mean I won't force you to stay in here," Sanji said. He stepped aside, surprising her. "If you really want to go then go. But I will tell Luffy if you leave this room without getting some medication on the wound."

Serena flinched. She had no choice. "Fine."

"Good." Sanji stepped over to the medicine cabinet.

Serena sat down on the bed with an annoyed huff.

"Turn your back to me and let me see." Sanji walked over to her and sat down on the bed.

Serena twisted on the bed. She lowered the towel just enough for him to see her back but kept herself covered. It was coming. She knew it was. It was only a matter of time before he started talking and asking questions.

"So this was what you've been hiding from Luffy," Sanji said.

Serena gritted her teeth. She forced back a flinch when the cold antiseptic brushed across her hot, infected skin.

"Don't bother to try and deny it. I can clearly see this wound isn't an accident. Someone did this on purpose. And since you don't like talking about your family I think it's safe to assume that your aunt did this to you," Sanji said. "Am I wrong?"  
Serena growled. Curse this man and his observation abilities.

"You better start talking before I go out right now and tell Luffy," Sanji said.

Serena closed her eyes. Her pulse hammered with rage. Drawing in a deep breath she let it out slowly. She should have known she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret forever. "Yes. Azalea, my aunt, did that to me."

"Why?"

"Mostly because she hates me. But also because of some gate she wants me to open," Serena said.

"A gate?" Sanji's hand paused before going back to applying the medication.

"Supposedly this gate would release the Lunar Army," Serena said. "And don't ask me why. I have no why. That army isn't real."

"It must be real if she's this determined to have you open the gate," Sanji said.

Serena snorted. "I highly doubt that. She hate's me simply because I'm a half-breed and my mother's child. That's really all this is about."

"You need to tell Luffy," Sanji said.

"No!" Serena whipped around to face him.

"Why not?" Sanji asked.

"Because he's Luffy! He'll go running off to fight Azalea! I don't want that! He won't be able to fight Hydrians! They have magic that is stronger than you came possibly imagine!" Serena leaped to her feet, making sure to keep her towel in front of her. "They'll kill him! I won't allow that to happen!"

"Be reasonable," Sanji said. "If she's that determined to open that gate then she's going to come after you. She's probably out there right now."

"I doubt it." Serena shook her head. "No one on Hydra has any ships. They can't leave the island."

"Are you sure?" Sanji asked.

"I've lived there since I was a kid. I think I'd notice if ships were around." Serena frowned.

"They can still hide them. And you still need to tell Luffy," Sanji said.

"Do you have hot buns shoved in your ears? I showed you all what I could do. And I'm not in full control of my magic," Serena said. "Everyone else there is. You all don't stand a chance against them."

"If anyone's not listening it's you," Sanji said. "A person like Azalea won't let go of their obsession. She will come after you. And if we're going to have to fight then we need to be prepared for that. By going into this blind we're most likely going to die. Do you want that for Luffy?"

"But that's…" Serena dropped her eyes to the floor. She hated to admit it but Sanji had a point. "I can't. I don't want Lalu pulled into this."

"It's a little late for that," Sanji said. "He's already been pulled into this. He was the second he set foot on Hydra. Well, I guess technically that was decided when you two first became friends."

Tears pooled in her eyes. "Then it's my fault. I did this to him."

"Don't do that," Sanji said. "It's not your fault. You didn't ask for any of this."

"You're not going to blame me?" Serena looked up at him.

"I can't. No one ever asks to be born. And you certainly didn't ask to be born with your magic the way it is," Sanji said.

"I'm sorry." Wrapping her arms around herself, Serena sighed.

"To a degree I can understand why you kept this from Luffy," Sanji said. "But at the same time I'm surprised with how long you've been. I thought you would have told him out of loneliness."

"Well, I haven't been completely alone while on Hydra. A friend of my mom has been keeping an eye on me the best she could," Serena said. "But she can't do much. She's under employment of my aunt. So she has to pretend she hates me most of the time."

"So can I ask about the barrier around the island?" Sanji asked. "Why couldn't we get through it?"

"It was put up by Azalea to keep people off of Hydra," Serena said. "Well, more specifically, it was to keep my dad and his crew off the island. As for how Lalu managed to get on the island…I'm not sure. It should have stopped him too."

"I see." He paused. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Serena said. "It's my fault anyway. You had a right to act the way you did with me. And you didn't know about my past. It's not like you'd know what it's like to live like…this. To be hated and abused by someone who's suppose to protect you."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Sanji's eyes dropped to the floor.

"What do you mean about that?" Serena asked. "Never mind. I hid my past from you. It's only fair you hide yours from me."

"It's not like I'm actually hiding my past from anyone," Sanji said. "It's just they really haven't asked about it."

"I see," Serena said.

"I do know how you feel." Sanji lifted his eyes to hers.

Serena's eyes widened at the raw emotions spinning around in his eyes. She could tell. "You were abused to."

Sanji nodded. "Like you I was a disappointment to my father and brothers. I didn't match up to their strength so they beat me whenever they could. I was too nice for them."

"That's horrible," Serena said.

"Yeah." Sanji nodded. "But I'm over it for the most part. They have no reason to come after me. You, on the other hand, are in danger of being taken again. And this time Luffy won't be kept in the dark. Don't you think it's better for you to tell him the truth about what's going on?"

"No…yes…I don't know." Serena ran her fingers through her drying hair. "I was hoping that I'd leave Hydra and Azalea would just leave me alone."

"That won't happen. She's far too obsessed with that army. So much so she thinks abusing a kid is right," Sanji said. "I don't know anything about this army she thinks you can free, but whether it's real or not, she clearly thinks it is. And I'm positive she'll come for you. I know she will come." He gestured to the bed. "Let me finish."

Serena sat down, lowered her towel again, and allowed him to apply more medication and bandage her back.

"I'm not saying you run out there and tell him right this second, even though that would be best," Sanji said. "But you need to tell him soon. You know it's for the best that he knows. You two clearly love each other. He'd do anything for you."

"I know." Serena nodded. "I just don't want him to get hurt because of all this."

"I know that's what you want," Sanji said. "But he's going to be even more hurt if you don't tell him and he finds out on his own."

Serena sighed. Sanji was right. She was going to have to tell Luffy the truth.


	10. Ripped Away

Ripped Away

_Serena squealed as she ran around the deck._

_"I'm going to get you!" Shanks said as he chased after her._

_"No, you're not!" Serena engulfed herself in her glow. Lifting into the air she flew over to her mom. She dove into her mom's chest. "Mommy! Daddy's chasing me again! Save me!"_

_"Oh, you two and your silly games." Seren wrapped her arms around Serena._

_"Well, she shouldn't have stolen my hat." Shanks reached out and pulled his hat down over his daughter's eyes._

_"But I love this hat." Serena grinned._

_"Hey! We're there!" Yasopp called from the crow's nest._

_"Where?" Serena asked._

_"We've arrived at Windmill Village," Shanks said._

_"Windmill Village?" Serena cocked her head._

_"It's where Luffy lives," Seren said. "Remember when Shanks told you about him?"_

_"He the boy that wants to be a pirate?" Serena asked._

_"That's him," Shanks said._

_Serena turned her attention to the island. With each passing second it grew closer and closer. Then they were docked. One by one the crew started climbing down to the dock. Shanks took Serena into his arms. "Let's go you."_

_"I keep my hat!" Serena pulled the hat down farther on her head._

_"Okay, okay." Shanks laughed. "You can wear it a while longer."_

_"She's got you wrapped around her finger," Seren said._

_"She gets it from you," Shanks said._

_"What?" Seren blinked innocently._

_Shanks rolled his eyes. Offering Seren his hand, he helped her over the side before crawling down with Serena. Down on the deck he placed Serena on his shoulders and walked hand in hand with Seren into the town._

_Serena looked over the town. It was by far the smallest town they had ever been to. "This place is boring."_

_Shanks laughed._

_"Serena, that's not nice," Seren said. "We just got here. Remember not to judge a book by its cover. This place might surprise you."_

_"Yes, Mommy," Serena said._

_Seren whacked Shanks._

_"Hey! What's that for?!" Shanks said._

_"Don't encourage such behavior," Seren said firmly._

_"Yes, Mommy," Shanks said._

_Seren rolled her eyes. Planting her hand on Shanks' back she pushed him into the town._

_Serena watched as her crew entered into a building. Over the door were the words: Party Bar._

_Her parents entered._

_"Shanks! Seren!" a green haired woman shouted with a smile. She came from around the bar and ran over to them._

_"Makino!" Seren hugged the woman. "It's so good to see you!"_

_"You too! You look great." Makino held Seren's hands out and looked at her body. Her eyes then lifted up to Serena. "Oh. And who's this cutie?"_

_"This is our daughter, Serena," Shanks said._

_"She's so cute. I can't believe you two had a baby," Makino said._

_"Serena, this is our good friend Makino," Shanks said. "Say hello."_

_"Hello." Serena waved._

_"Nice to meet you, Serena. Would you like some juice?" Makino asked._

_"Yes, please!" Serena chirped._

_"Coming right up." Makino walked behind the bar._

_Shanks and Seren sat down at the bar. Shanks lowered Serena to his lap._

_"Here you go." Makino sat three glasses down in front of the pirates._

_Serena pulled her glass to her and took a drink. Sipping on her juice she listened to her parents talk to Makino while the crew drank and got loud. Before long a young boy her age came running into the room._

_"Shanks! You're here!" he said._

_"There you are, Luffy." Shanks turned to face him. "I was wondering when you would show up."_

_Serena looked at the boy. His black hair stuck up all over the place. It made her wonder if he had ever used a comb before in his life._

_"I was training!" Luffy said. "I'm going to get stronger and become a pirate!"_

_Serena laughed. The boy was so thin. It was hard for her to see him as a pirate._

_"Hey! Why are you laughing?!" Luffy demanded._

_"You're scrawny," Serena said. "That's why."_

_"Serena." Seren tapped her daughter on her head. "That's rude."_

_"But it's the truth," Serena said. "And you told me to tell the truth."_

_Shanks laughed. "She's got you there."_

_"Oh hush!" Seren snapped._

_"Who are you?!" Luffy asked._

_"Luffy, this is Serena. She's our daughter," Shanks said._

_"What?!" Luffy cried._

_"Why don't you two get to know each other?" Shanks lifted Serena up and placed her on the floor._

_"But Daddy." Serena pouted at him._

_"Go on now," Shanks said._

_"Okay." Serena headed for the door with Luffy following her. She glanced at Luffy while they walked through the town. "So…you want to be a pirate, huh?"_

_"I'm going to be King of the Pirates," Luffy said._

_"Is that so?" Serena smirked at him. "You'll have to beat Daddy and his crew. They're really strong, you know!"_

_"I know," Luffy said. "And I'm going to beat them one day."_

_"No way. You'll have to fight me too!" Serena said._

_"Then I'll do it!"_

_"But I'm a girl! Boys aren't supposed to hit girls!"_

_"You're a pirate. It's okay for boys to hit girl pirates." Luffy ran a few feet ahead of her._

_"Whatever."_

_"So how strong are you?" Luffy asked._

_"I don't know. I don't fight because Mommy and Daddy won't let me," Serena said. "But I will. I will grow strong and become a pirate too."_

_"Then you should join my crew," Luffy said._

_"What?" Serena looked at him. "I'm already on a crew."_

_"But I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy said. "Don't you want to be on the crew of the King of the Pirates? You can also be my first mate."_

_"Hey! Hold on! I never agreed!" Serena said._

_Luffy smiled._

_Serena sighed. "You're so weird."_

_"Then it's settled!"_

_"Hey! It is not!"_

_"You're my friend!" Luffy's grin grew wider._

_"I never said that either!" Serena said crossing her arms. "You can't just be friends like that."_

" _What? Of course you can!"_

_"No you can't. To be friends you have to do things together," Serena said. "Don't you have other friends?"_

_"No," Luffy said._

_"Oh." Serena looked around. There didn't seem to be many kids around. "Fine. I'll be your friend. So let's go play."_

_"Yeah! What are we going to play?" Luffy asked._

_"We'll we could play pirates," Serena said. "If it's okay with Mommy and Daddy I can take you to the ship."_

_"Yes!" Luffy grabbed Serena's hand._

_Serena's cheeks flushed as Luffy pulled her back towards the bar. "H-hey! You can't hold my hand like that!"_

_"What? Of course I can!" Luffy grinned back at her._

_"Luffy!" Serena said just before he pulled her back into the bar._

_"Serena wants to show me the ship!" Luffy announced._

_"Serena?" Seren looked at them._

_"Why are you holding our daughter's hand?" Shanks' eyes zeroed in on the kids' connected hands._

_"Because she's my friend." Luffy smiled. "And we're going to play pirates! We need a ship."_

_"That's so cute! Serena already has a boyfriend!" Seren clapped her hands together._

_"What?!" Shanks shrieked. "She does not! She's only a child!"_

_"Get use to it, dear." Seren giggled. "It's going to happen eventually."_

_"What?! No! That's not what I had in mind when we brought her here!" Shanks said._

_"Great! We're going to the ship now!" Luffy tugged Serena out of the building._

_"Hey! Wait! Luffy!" Shanks ran after them._

_"Captain's already jealous of Serena's boyfriend," Yasopp said. The crew laughed._

_"Shut up! He's not her boyfriend!" Shanks looked at his crew then turned and ran out of the building. "Serena! Luffy! Wait a second! We have to talk about this!"_

…

Serena gnawed on her thumbnail. Her eyes remained locked onto Luffy. She had been watching him for the past two hours. And in that time she was trying to work up her courage yet hadn't been able to get herself to go to him. Growling at herself she ran her fingers through her hair before she forced herself to her feet.

"What's up, Rena?" Luffy asked.

"Uh, Lalu," Serena said. "Can we talk for a moment? Just the two of us?"  
"Huh? Sure." Luffy followed her when she headed down the beach.

Serena walked several feet of head of him. She kept walking and walking and walking, trying to keep ahead of him. He would take her hand if she didn't. That was something she didn't want at the moment.

"Rena, is something wrong?" Luffy asked.

She didn't answer.

"Rena?" Luffy asked.

Serena stopped walking when Luffy's hand clamped around hers. He pulled her back to him.

"Rena?"

Serena kept her eyes down on his sandals. She could feel his confused eyes drilling holes in her. It was now or never. With a deep breath she spat it out. "There's something that I need to tell you. And it's something that's going to upset you."

"What? There's nothing you could do or say that would upset me," Luffy said.

"Don't be so sure," Serena mumbled.

"Just talk to me," Luffy said. "I'll understand. You know I will."

Serena took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Luffy might get mad at her but hopefully it would only be for a short while. She lifted her eyes to face him. Parting her lips she started to force the words out when suddenly a light appeared above them. They looked up. Her heart and lungs froze in her chest at the familiar light and meteors flew down at them. "No."

"Look out!"

Serena didn't feel it as Luffy plowed into her, shoving her out of the way. The meteors crashed on the beach. Sand flew into the air. The shouts of the other Straw Hats soon found her ears. Looking over Luffy's shoulder she found them running towards them. "No! Don't come over here!"

"What the heck was that?!" Luffy got off Serena and looked into the sky. "Who the heck are you?!"

"Serena," a guard said.

Serena gritted her teeth. Her heart hammering so hard it was difficult for her to breath.

"You've been a real pain," the guard said.

"How do you know Rena?" Luffy asked.

"They're guards from Hydra." Serena stood up. "They work for my aunt. They're here to take me back."

"What?!" Luffy looked at Serena. "I won't let that happen!"

"Lalu, listen to me," Serena said. "Don't fight them."

"What?" Luffy asked.

"What?!" the Straw Hats, but Sanji and Robin, screamed at the same time Luffy.

"What are you saying?!" Usopp asked.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Zoro unsheathed his swords. "They just attacked us. We're not going to let them get away with this."

"Listen to me! You can't stop them! You don't know how to handle their magic!" Serena said.

"She's right, you know?" The guard smiled. "You won't be able to stop us. We're taking her back to Hydra."

"No you're not! Gum Gum Gatlin!" Luffy threw out his punches.

"No!" Serena screamed. But no one listened to her. The Straw Hats charged forward. "Stop!"

Chaos broke out on the beach. The Straw Hats launched their attacked. The guards fired back with their own attacks. Meteors rained down on the sand. Zoro and Brook cut several. Sanji managed to kick a few into the ocean. Franky blew a couple up while the rest of the crew dove out of the way before the large masses crashed into the beach.

"What the heck?!" Nami screamed. "How are we suppose to fight them?!"

More meteors were released one after anyone until there was so many they blanketed the sky. The Straw Hats tried to block the massive attack, but where unable to. The ground shook as the meteors slammed into the ground for several minutes. The sand settled, revealing the unconscious pirates.

"Stop it!" Serena ran towards them.

"You're not going anywhere." A guard swooped down. His arms circled around her waist.

"Let go!" Serena screamed as her body was jerked into the air. She lifted her hands. Before she could attack familiar cuffs clamped over her wrist. "No!"

"Rena!" Luffy shouted. "Gum Gum…"

"You pirates are such pests," the guard said before. He nodded to another guard.

The guard nodded back before dropping down to the beach. He snapped out a whip, striking Luffy across his chest.

"Luffy!" Serena screamed.

"This is your fault. Pull back, men!"

"No! Let go of me!" Serena thrashed against the man holding her. His arms tightened around her.

"You've got to be kidding," he said. "You've never been stronger than I have. You can't escape."

"Shut up!" Serena snapped. "You're not going to get away with this!"

"You think so? How do you think we caught up with you so fast?"

Serena stopped struggling. It never crossed her mind. If they had a ship then the Straw Hats would have spotted it. Her eyes fell to the ocean. There blending almost perfectly with the water was a submarine. "No."

"Jabot!" Sanji screamed.

Serena felt her body falling for a few seconds before landing in someone's arms. "Sanji?!"

"Hold on! We're going back to the beach!" Sanji said.

"Stop it! You can't win th-" Before she could finish four guards brought down a hammer made of their magic on them. They both collided with the deck of the sub.

Serena lifted up. Sanji was now unconscious below her. "Sanji!"

Someone jerked her back.

"Kill him."

The guards advanced on Sanji.

"No!" Serena wiggled in the man's hold. Turning herself just enough she sunk her teeth into his flesh.

"Ah!" He released her.

"Stop it!" Serena threw herself over Sanji's unconscious body. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"He helped you escape," a guard said.

"No, it wasn't him. I did that. It was all me," Serena said.

The guard rolled his eyes. "Don't lie. We know all about the one who helped you escape. You didn't do it alone. These pirates also had a hand in helping you get away from your aunt."

"Fine. They did but it's not their fault. I'm the one you all are after. There's no point in hurting him or anyone else. Please, don't hurt him anymore. This is all my fault," Serena beg. "He's not strong enough to fight you all anyway. You've proven that all ready. Normal people can't hurt you. And…if you leave him alone I promise I won't fight back anymore. I'll go back to Hydra with you."

"S-Serena," Sanji squeaked. "Don't."

"Shut up, Sanji," Serena said. "I know what I'm doing."

"Fine," the guard said. "We'll leave him alone. For now."

Serena sighed. The guards moved away from them.

"You two get inside of the sub. We're going to be diving soon."

"Can you walk?" Serena asked.

"I think so." Sanji struggled to his feet.

Once he was up, she took his arm around her shoulders and helped him limp into the submarine.

…

Luffy struggled to get himself up to his arms. His heart and lungs stopped when he saw Serena being pulled farther and farther away from him. "No." He pushed himself to his feet. "Rena!"

A light flashed. It shot out from Luffy's body before he fell backwards. His body fell before catching in midair.

"What the heck?" Nami asked when she saw their captain.

"What happened to him?" Brook asked.

The Straw Hats gathered around their floating and glowing captain.

"What's with the glow?" Zoro reached out for it. He jerked back when the glow singed his skin. "Ouch! It's hot!"

"Then we can't touch him," Usopp said. "What do we do now? How can we tell if he's alive or not?"

"Don't say that! Of course he's alive!" Chopper cried.

"Can you tell what's happening to him?" Nami asked.

"I can't. But it looks like he's still breathing. His chest is moving up and down," Chopper said. "I think he might just be in shock with everything that happened."

"But what did happen?" Nami asked.

"Has anyone else noticed that Sanji doesn't appear to be here anymore?" Robin asked.

The crew looked around.

"Where did he go?" Franky asked.

…

Serena helped Sanji to the infirmary. She sat him down on the exam table before turning to one of the guards watching them. "I need medication and bandages for his wounds."

One guard stepped away. He opened a few cabinets before handing her all she asked for on a tray.

"I'm so sorry about this," Serena said as she started to apply medication to Sanji's wounds.

"Don't worry about it," Sanji said. "It's not your fault."

"It is my fault. I should have just stayed on Hydra. None of this would have happened then," Serena said.

"Shut up," Sanji said. "You did the right thing by leaving. No one deserves to be abused." He looked over at the guard. "And you were right about them. They are strong."

Serena nodded. A sharp scream from Luffy pierced her head before going silent. She gasped.

"What's wrong?" a guard asked.

"Nothing," Serena said.

"Luffy?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah." Serena nodded. "He's in pain and blacked out again."

"I see," Sanji said.

Finishing up she handed it all back to the guard before she and Sanji followed them out of the room. She walked along until she noticed Sanji was taking in the sub around them. It was good idea so she started looking around as well. Guards were line up along the hall; clearly there to make sure she didn't escape. They turned and headed down a set of steep stairs. "How did she manage to get this done?"

"Apparently she had someone who's skilled in making subs," Sanji said. "I don't know anything about them but the craftsmanship's on this is clear."

"In other words is a floating prison," Serena said.

"Right." Sanji nodded. "Most likely there're only one, maybe two, doors that lead out of this place. And we're not going to get anywhere near them."

Another set of stairs and they were lead down a long hall. Pausing at a door, one of the guards opened it. "Get in. Both of you."

Serena went in first.

Sanji followed after her.

The door was closed.

Serena looked around the door. Four beds were built into the walls to their left and right. A bathroom and a single closest were at the end of the beds. Between them a single porthole too small for them to fit through. "Charming. At least they didn't separate us."

"They didn't expect to take on another prisoner." Sanji sat down on one of the beds.

"They might separate us when we get to Hydra," Serena said. "Or not. I don't know." She paced the room. "You're not a threat to them, especially now that you're lone."

"What about Luffy?" Sanji asked.

"He's still out cold." Serena raked her fingers through her hair. "He's going to be so furious when he wakes up. If he wakes up."

"He'll wake up after the shock wears off. And his fury is actually a good thing. He gets stronger when he's upset," Sanji said. "So what's with the cuffs? Why did they put them on you and not me?"

"They're cuffs that suppress our magic. They wouldn't work on you like they work on my people." Serena said as she continued to pace. She knew she should call after Luffy and try to help him wake up but she couldn't bring herself to call out for him.

Suddenly the door opened. Sanji and Serena turned to the guard. "We're here."

"What? How did we get here so quickly?" Serena asked. "We've only been sailing for about five hours."

"Your aunt knew what she was doing. She had this sub build so we could use our magic of course. With our strength we can sail faster than anyone else." The guard smirked. "We're not pathetic like you."

Serena growled. "Funny. If you had the ability to do this then why didn't you take me back as soon as I got away? Why wait so long?"  
"If you really want to know, we didn't use it because we weren't sure who that guy was who managed to get you off this island. No one outside of our people are suppose to be able to get past the barrier. We had to be careful and gather information on him."

"And the submarine?" Serena probed.  
"Mistress Azalea is always well planned. She figured this might happen one day. So incase that happened she had this sub built so we could come after you." The guard stepped aside. "Let's get going.

"Figures. I feel like such an idiot," Serena said as she headed out the door. A moment later Sanji stepped beside her. They followed the guard up a couple flights of stairs and to the main door they had entered from. A loud clank and the door was pulled open. They stepped outside. She frowned. They had pulled up to the beach not far from the mansion. It was the same beach she walked on with Keres. And speaking of him, he and Azalea were standing there, waiting for her. "Just great."

"So that's your aunt. Who's the guy she's with?" Sanji said.

"Keres," Serena said. "He's the one who tried to torture me. He's not nice at all and has forced many women to have sex with him."

"Bastard," Sanji hissed.

"Yeah." Serena nodded.

"Did he do that to you?" Sanji asked.

"No." Serena shook her head. "I managed to get out of that one."

"Get going!" A guard shoved Serena forward.

Serena glared back at him. She walked forward a few stepped before another guard reached for her.

Sanji stepped between them. "If you don't mind I'll be carrying her off the sub."

The guard scoffed. "Whatever."

Sanji turned to Serena. When she nodded at him he scooped her up in his arms. "Sky Walk." He launched into the air and down to the beach where a guard opened the barrier. "There you go."

"Thanks," she mumbled before looking at her aunt. Azalea's eyes were over flooded with anger and hate. It sparked a bit of pleasure in Serena's chest.

Without a word, Azalea snapped out her hand. She grabbed Serena's wrist and pulled her towards the mansion.

"Hey! Let her go!" Sanji lunged forward.

Serena looked back just in time to see Keres land a punch in Sanji's stomach. "Hey! Leave him alone!"

"Guards! Bring him to the mansion and tell us who this trash is!" Keres ordered.

Serena continued to struggle against her aunt's hold. But Azalea held strong and firm. And once again she was drug to the same tree she always got chained to when she was about to be beaten. She waited for her aunt to say something. No words came. Her aunt just ripped open her shirt and started slapping her back with the whip.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Sanji growled. He pulled against the guards holding him.

"Shut up!" Azalea snapped her whip across his cheek. "You will not interfere in this at all, outsider!"

"I'm already involved in this!" Sanji said. "And I won't allow you to hurt her anymore!"

"You have no say in this," a guard said. With a chuckle he and the other guard holding Sanji lit up their glow.

Sanji screamed out at the heat burning through his sleeves and into his skin.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Serena said.

"Shut up!" Azalea snapped before hitting Serena again.

Serena gritted her teeth at the pain.

"This is all your fault!" Azalea hit her again and again.

Serena's skin split open more and more to the point she figured her back was going to be void of all skin if this kept up for much longer.

"I am so furious with you I can barely speak!" Azalea pulled back. "This is the end, Serena. You're not going to disobey me again."

"I wouldn't count on it," Serena said. "I'm sick of you and this place."

"Shut up!" Azalea snapped the whip again.

Serena laughed. "You're just weak."

"What did you say?" Azalea asked.

"Well, looks like someone developed a bit of a mouth while sailing with these despicable humans called pirates," Keres said. "Such a shame, Serena. If only you had stayed and married me. Things could have been different for you."

"Shut up!" Serena spat. "You don't care about her. You, just like  _her_ , only wanted to control me."

Keres grinned with a shrug. "Perhaps. I guess we'll never know now."

"Marry?" Sanji looked between Serena and Keres. "You were going to marry this jerk?"

"Heck no," Serena said. "Azalea was going to force me into marrying him. But thankfully that didn't happen. You all showed up in time."

"I see," Sanji said.

"Get them out of my sight! I'm getting a headache." Azalea pressed her fingers to her forehead before heading to the mansion. "I'll figure out her punishment later."

"And the guy?" a guard asked.

"Leave him with her," Azalea said. "He's not threat to us."

Sanji frowned.

Serena slumped to the ground when a guard released her from the handcuffs.

Sanji rushed to her side. "Serena?"

"I'll be fine," she said.

"No you won't." Sanji eyed her back. "We need a doctor."

"You're not going to get one. Not for her," Azalea said before she and Keres disappeared into the mansion.

"Just take me to my room," Serena said.

"But…"

"It's fine."

"Okay. I'm going to have to carry you on my back. I don't want to cause anymore damage to your back," Sanji said.

"That's fine." Serena waited for him to turn around. When he did she put her arms around his neck and stood up. His hand slipped under her knees. He stood up and headed inside. "Go down that hall then all the way upstairs."

Sanji nodded and followed her directions. "Geez. You live all the way up here by yourself?"

"It got me away from them," Serena said. She pointed to her bedroom door. "That one."

Sanji entered into it.

Serena wiggled off his back. Stepping over to her bed she opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out the salve.

"What's that?" Sanji asked.

"It's a salve that Mari uses on my back when Azalea…" Serena said.

"I get it. You better let me help." Sanji took the jar from her then helped her remove what remained of her shirt.

Serena laid down on her bed so he could apply the salve.

"I've never wanted to hit a woman before but the way she treated you makes me rethink that," Sanji said.

Serena sighed. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten you all involved in this."

"Stop being such an idiot. We've been over this already," Sanji said while applying the salve to her back. "You've faced this alone long enough. We're going to get you out of this. You'll see. Luffy will come for you again. And we'll show these people that they're not to mess with our friend."

"I'd love to see that," Serena said.

"There. I'm done," Sanji said. "Do you need help getting dressed?"  
"No. Just turn around and closed your eyes." Serena waited until he did as he was told. She walked over to her closet and pulled out another shirt, a button up one so she didn't have to move her arms much. She slipped it on and buttoned it up. "Okay. You can look now."

"So this is your room, huh?" Sanji looked around. "Nice bay window. I'll be sleeping there tonight."

"Don't be silly. It's too small," Serena said. "We'll share my bed."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Sanji said.

"Don't be an idiot," Serena said. "We're both mature adults here. Nothings going to happen."

"Well, it's not something we have to think about right now," Sanji said. "Are you hungry or anything?"  
"No." Serena shook her head.

"I'll make us something later," Sanji said. "That is if your charming aunt won't get upset if I use her kitchen."

"I know she doesn't want me to starve so I don't think it'll be a problem," Serena said. "It didn't look like the staff was here. I wonder if she gave them more time off. I didn't see any sign of the twins either."

"They could be in their room," Sanji said.

"Possibly," Serena said. "But they don't miss a beating very often."

"Your family sounds really charming," Sanji said.

"Oh? Better or worse than yours?" Serena looked at him with a smirk.

Sanji smiled. "I'm glad this hasn't effected your humor. Though I wonder how long that will last."

"What do you mean?" Serena's smirk faded.

"I told you before that you changed while you were on the ship," Sanji said. "I think that had to do with you being around Luffy."

Serena opened her mouth to reply but found she didn't have any words. Sanji was right. She was different since she had been around Luffy. But why? Was it because she was just glad to be with him? No, that couldn't have been it. There was something else. Something between them that changed her. Luffy had changed too. His crew mentioned it before.

"So where's that friend of yours?" Sanji asked a while later.

"She might be at home since no other servants were here," Serena said. "When she comes she comes when Azalea has gone to bed."

…

"What do we do?" Chopper asked. "It's been over five hours since Luffy's been like this and nothing's changed."

"I don't know," Nami said. They all were still gathered around their glowing and unconscious captain. "We need to go after Sanji and Serena."

"But we can't do that without him," Franky said.

"He's the one who got us to Hydra in the first place," Brook added.

"What's that?" Robin asked. Everyone looked up and followed her gaze. A few yards from Luffy another light appeared. They watched as a shadowed figure appeared in the light before stepping outside of it. The light vanished.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked.

"I've come to wake Luffy up," Shanks said.


	11. Lalu & Rena

Lalu & Rena

"I don't have much time to explain so listen carefully," Shanks said as he walked over to Luffy. He looked down at the young man.

"Don't get too close," Zoro said. "You'll get burned if you do."

"I'll be fine. I still have a little magic from Seren left," Shanks said.

"You have magic?" Chopper asked. "Is it like Serena? Are you a Hydrian too?"

"I'm not a Hydrian. The magic I hold belonged to my wife. Serena's mother," Shanks said. He placed his hand on Luffy's forehead. "She gave this to me in case something like this happened again."

"Again? What exactly happened?" Nami asked.

"The shock of being separated from Serena was too much for him," Shanks said. "This happened when they were kids as well when Azalea came and took Serena away. Luffy and Serena are bonded by her magic because Luffy holds half of her abilities."

"What?" the Straw Hats gasped.

"Seren did this in hope to keep Serena from being able to open the gate and free the Lunar Army," Shanks said. "Azalea was relentless in getting Serena away from us. So Seren did the only thing she could. She used her magic to link Luffy and Serena."

"Link them?" Robin asked.

"It's a forbidden technique," Shanks said. "Seren built the bridge that separated Serena's magic in half. That half went into Luffy."

"So that's why they can speak to each other through their minds," Usopp said.

"Yes." Shanks nodded. "In doing this Seren gave up her life. Once a Hydrian using this ability they can't absorb their magic back into them. Without their magic they die. But in doing so both Serena and Luffy lost part of their memories dealing with the army and what happened that day."

"I guess that explains why Serena said it wasn't real," Brook said.

"Both of us were hoping that Azalea wouldn't learn about what happened," Shanks said. "It seems to have worked. To a degree anyway. She might remember about that ability someday."

"Hold on," Franky said. "You and your crew are very powerful. How is it possible Serena was able to have been taken in the first place?"

"We didn't have the strength we do now back then," Shanks said. "Besides none of our skill would matter. Hydrians are too strong for normal humans to deal with."

"Then how are we suppose to deal with them?!" Usopp demanded. "We're a lot weaker than you all are!"

"The key lies within Luffy and Serena," Shanks said.

"But how if Serena is only a half breed?" Nami asked.

"Only Hydrians with silver eyes can control the army," Shanks said. "Serena has those eyes. And her mother did as well."

The pirates gasped.

"That's why Seren ran from Hydra in the first place. Azalea became obsess with the Lunar Army. She believed she would be able to control it since their family found Hydra and obtained its magic in the first place," Shanks said. "You have to get to Hydra and fast. Serena can only take so much of being forced to open the gate."

"But if Luffy has half her magic how can she open it?" Nami asked.

"She can't. Azalea will keep forcing her until Serena's body and magic gives out," Shanks said. "She'll die."

"We can't let that happen!" Usopp said. "If that does then Luffy…"

"Will die right along with Serena," Shanks said. "But in going there again it's very possible that they will open the gate."

"What?!" they screamed.

"It's a risk you have to take," Shanks said.

"But how do we get there? Luffy was the one who took us there in the first place. Or Serena's magic did," Chopper said.

"And he'll take you again." Shanks hovered his hand over Luffy's face. A glow gathered under it. It fell upon Luffy. Luffy's glow faded as he lowered to the ground. "He'll wake up any second. I have to go now."

"Wait. Luffy will want to see you," Usopp said.

"I only have enough magic to get me back to my ship. If I don't leave now I'll be stuck here. Besides, we can't see each other just yet." Shanks walked away from them. He waved his hand and the portal he came through reappeared. "But give him this message. Tell him I expect him to bring Serena to me when we meet again. And I'm counting on him to take care of her." He stepped through the portal and it vanished.

"Hm?" Luffy opened his eyes.

"Luffy! You're awake!" Chopper said.

With his hair covering his eyes he stood up. "Set sail. We're going after her.  _Now_." He drew in a breath before screaming, "Rena! Do you hear me?! I'm coming for you!"

…

"There's no point in taking her back to the statue," Keres said. "Time and time again we've taken her to the statue yet nothing happens. I couldn't even get her to open it."

"I know!" Azalea slammed her fist down on her desk. "You don't have to tell me that!"

The maid walking into the room jumped. She composed herself before walking over to the deck. Laying out two teacups and saucers, she filled them up.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Keres crossed his arms. "Your tactics of beating her have never worked."

Azalea growled. "Then what do you suggest?"  
"She cares a lot about that guy who came with her," Keres said. "Why don't we kill him? Maybe the shock of losing someone she cares about will force her to open the gate."

Azalea hummed in thought. "That might work." She picked up her teacup and took a drink. "It's at least worth a try."

"So when do we do it?" Keres asked.

"Good question," Azalea said. She waved the maid out of the room. "Since that guy came for her once then he'll come for her again. We should do it as soon as possible. We can take him to the statue and have Serena come for him today. We'll just have to wait for him to leave her side."

"If he leaves her side," Keres said. "He's been sticking to her like glue since they got here."

"Don't worry," Azalea said. "She still has her chores to do. He surely won't stick with her for every second of the day." Standing up she walked over to the voice pipe on the all. "Serena! Get off your lazy butt and get outside and do your chores! No excuses!"

…

"You've got to be kidding," Sanji said when Azalea stopped speaking. "She wants you to do work after beating you like that?!"

"Welcome to my world." Serena headed for the door.

"I'm coming with you," Sanji said.

"You don't have to," Serena said.

"I want to," Sanji said. "I'm not going to leave you alone with these people."

"Suit yourself then." Serena shrugged then winced at the pain she causes herself. She smiled when Sanji stepped up to her before leading him down the stairs and out to the stables. She breathed in deeply. The smell of the horses and stable was one of the few things she missed. Her hand when to the head of a brown mare when she poked her head out of the stall. "Hey, sweetie."

"She likes you," Sanji said.

"I like her," Serena said pressing her forehead to the creature's head. "Animals are definitely better than people.

"So the loser is back."

"Who are you?" Sanji said.

Serena turned to see the twins standing in the door of the stables. "Those are Azalea's girls, Isa and Rica."

"So which is which?" Sanji asked.

"I'm Isa."

"I'm Rica."

"And they are lying," Serena said. "They do that all the time. Reverse the names."

"We do not!" The girls ran up to Serena and slapped her on the back.

Serena gritted her teeth. Gripping the door to the stall she had to stomp down the desire to rip their heads off. The pain spread out her whole body.

"Hey now! That's not nice," Sanji said.

"She's not nice," the girls said. "She's mean to us all the time."

The girls laughed and ran out of the stable.

"Charming, aren't they?" Serena asked with a pained grin.

"Very charming," Sanji said.

Serena grabbed a shovel and a bucket. Opening the stall door she started mucking out the stall. When it was clean she grabbed it and tired to lift it. Pain shot through her back. She whimpered and let it go.

"Let me help with that." Sanji grabbed the bucket. "Where does it go?"

"Around back," Serena said.

"Stay here." Sanji left and came back a few minutes later. He grabbed a shovel and started mucking out the stalls with her. "Serena, is there any kind of books about this army in the mansion?"  
"Why?" Serena asked.

"We need to gather more information on what this army can do," Sanji said.

"No. There's nothing like that," Serena said. "Like I said the army's not real."

"I can't believe that with how Azalea treats you," Sanji said. "There has to be some information somewhere."

"Sorry. But there's not." Serena put her shovel up.

"What are you doing now?" Sanji asked.

"Weeding the garden." Serena walked out of the stable. She jerked to a pause when Luffy's voice entered into her ears.

"What is it, Serena?" Sanji asked.

"It's Lalu," Serena said. "He's awake and he's coming."

"That's great." Sanji grinned. "Aren't you going to reply to him?"

"I can't. Not after what happened," Serena said.

"You should at least let him know we're okay," Sanji said. "You can talk about the rest later."

Serena nodded. "Lalu, I heard you. Sanji's with me. We're both fine."

_"Great. Hold on a little bit longer. I'm coming for you. We'll be there soon."_

"Soon?" Serena asked.

_"I'll explain later. Right now I need to concentrate."_

"They'll be here soon?"

"Good. I'm going to head inside for a few minutes. Will you be all right on your own?" Sanji said.

"I survived this before. I'll survive without you for a few minutes," Serena said despite still being confused by Luffy's words.

Sanji smiled and headed back inside.

Serena watched him go before turning her attention to the garden. Worry settled in her chest when Mari still hadn't appeared. "I wonder if she's sick.

…

Sanji stepped into the kitchen. It was quiet. No one appeared anywhere. Stepping into the hall he found the same thing. No one appeared to be in the mansion at all. Reaching the library he turned on the light and started going through the books one by one. The minutes ticked past yet he found nothing helpful within the words. Shoving the book back onto the shelf he turned off the light and left the room. "Just great. There's got to be something I can-"

Stars flashed through his eyes. His head pulsed with pain as his body crashed to the floor. Through his blurry vision he saw a pair of shoes scurrying around him before everything went black.

…

"Where is he?!" Azalea snapped.

"I'm sorry, Mistress," a guard said. "We've searched everywhere. It's like he's disappeared."

"That's impossible! Get back out there and find him before I have to punish you for your failure!" Azalea snapped.

"Yes, ma'am." The guard bowed and rushed from the room.

"Well, this is just great," Keres said.

"Shut up! I am in no mood for you," Azalea said.

"Then you're not interested in a theory that might explain why Serena can't open the gate," Keres said.

Azalea growled.

"It's possible she can't because she doesn't have all of her magic," Keres said.

"What?" Azalea looked at him.

"I was just think about how that Luffy guy managed to get onto Hydra while no one else could," Keres said. "It would be possible if he had Hydra magic, unless someone opened the barrier for him. But no one would be stupid enough to do that."

"I suppose it is possible. That would explain why my darling little sister suddenly died," Azalea said.

"Then allow me to go after him," Keres said. "I'll drag him back here and kill him in front of Serena."

"That's not necessary," Azalea said. "If what you said is true then that boy will come for her. And we'll be waiting."

…

Serena looked up to the dull thundering of boots on the ground. Several guards ran past her. "What are they doing?"

"Serena, stand up!" Azalea snapped.

"Great. What now?" Serena stood up and dusted the dirt off her pants. "I'm kind of busy here."

Azalea smiled then snapped her fingers.

"What are you doing?! Let go!" Serena said as the guards pinned her arms to her sides.

"Stop struggling," Azalea said. "You're going to open the gate today."

"Not that again," Serena said. "When are you going to give it up? That army isn't real. Let it go."

"Oh, yes, again. And it is real. This time it will happen for sure," Azalea said.

"You're insane," Serena said. "If I was able to open that gate to your fictional army then it would have already happened."

"Not so. I know why you can't open the gate." Azalea paced in front of her. "It's because my darling little sister put half your magic inside of Luffy."

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked.

"You have no memories of it, but it can happen. A Hydrian can create a bridge with their own magic between two others. In this case it was you and that boy you care about so much. And he's coming for you. Again." Azalea grinned.

Serena shivered at the grin. It was almost animalistic. A bad feeling sunk into her gut. "Where's Sanji?"  
"Don't worry about him," Azalea said. "He's in good hands. He won't die unless you try and escape. Let's go."

The guards marched her forward.

Serena's mind raced. Did her aunt really capture Sanji? That would explain why several minutes had passed and he hadn't returned to her yet. The world around her went blank. Her heart raced with the possibilities of what might happen to him if she did disobey her aunt. Before she knew it they had reached the center of the city and she was tied to the statue.

…

Luffy glared out at the horizon. His magic propelled the ship forward but he felt as if they were standing still.

"I can't believe Luffy's actually doing this," Nami said as she looked at the glow coming from Luffy. The glow surrounded the entire ship.

"Its moving super fast," Franky said.

"I find it scary," Usopp said.

"I just hope they're okay," Chopper said.

"They'll be fine. That stupid cook is with her," Zoro said.

"There's Hydra," Brook said. "Wow. We made good time."

Thirty yards to the island, Luffy banished his glow. He threw out his arms and shot himself to the island.

"Luffy! Wait!" Nami cried out.

"There he goes again," Robin said.

"Rena! I'm coming for you!" Luffy screamed as he dashed onto the island. Knowing where to go, he headed right for the city. "Rena!"

…

"Luffy! Stay away," Serena said.

_"No! I'm coming for you! I'm almost to the city!"_

Serena's heart pounded. She glanced around. Azalea, Keres, and the guards had disappeared. She knew they were close. They wouldn't miss having both her and Luffy here.

"Rena!" Luffy called out.

Serena parted her lips to call out for him. But something snapped inside of her. She gasped as her magic came out on its own. Luffy started glowing as well. It swirled around with the glow from Luffy. The statue vibrated. She glanced up at it the best she could.

"What's happening?" Luffy skidded to a stop in front of Serena.

The statue shifted. It moved back. Lightning shot up from the ground and into the sky. The sun vanished. Dark clouds rolled in. The wind howled and whipped around them.

Serena screamed.

"Rena!" Luffy shouted.

"Yes! Come forth my beautiful army!" Azalea held out her hands as she walked towards the statue.

"Who the heck are you?!" Luffy demanded.

"The ruler of this island and soon the whole world!" Azalea cackled.

A dark light came from the swirling vortex. Slowly three figures started to come from it.

"Yes!" Azalea said.

Serena screamed. Her vision swayed before she slumped unconscious.

"Rena!" Luffy reached for her. Before he could do anything his own body slumped unconscious.

The three figures lifted out of the vortex. Their bodies were slick white. Their eyes solid greyish blue. They were neither male or female.

"Something doesn't feel right about this," Keres said taking a step back.

"What are you talking about? I'm in complete control here," Azalea said. "You worry too much."

"But the story says-"

"The story is wrong! These warriors are my birthright. I can and will control them." Azalea lifted her hands towards the warriors. "Do you hear me, warriors? I am your mistress. You will obey me and no one else."

The three warriors didn't obey her. They stood in place.

"What?!" Azalea screamed. "Why won't you listen to me?! I command you to obey me."

The warriors turned to the woman. Their eyes started to glow before the glow shot out at her.

"Hey!" Azalea jumped from the blast. "What are you doing?!"

The warriors fired again. Azalea and Keres flew backwards. The warriors flew into the sky. Looking down to the city they started firing up on it. People screamed and ran. One hit the chains holding Serena to the statue. She fell into the vortex and disappeared.

The warriors flew out over the island and continued with their rampage.

…

"Luffy! Hey, Luffy! Wake up!"

Luffy opened his eyes to Sanji calling his name. "Sanji?"

"About time," Sanji said. "I thought you'd never wake up."

"Where's Rena?" Luffy sat up.

"She's inside of the place where the army came out of," Mari said.

"Who are you?" Luffy looked at the woman.

"This is Mari," Sanji said. "She's a friend of Serena's."

"Oh." Luffy looked at Sanji. He grabbed him. "What the heck, Sanji?! You were supposed to be with Rena! Where have you been?!"

"I'm sorry," Sanji said. "I was with her until I was knocked out."

"Why would you be knocked out?!" Luffy demanded.

"That was my fault," Mari said. "A friend of mine was suppose to bring him to me but things got a bit messy. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Sanji said. "What's done is done. We have to get Serena."

"Rena?!" Luffy looked around. "Where is she?!"

"We saw her fall into that swirling thing over there," Sanji said.

Luffy looked where Sanji turned his gaze. With a scream he leaped up and ran over to it.

"Luffy! Wait! We have no idea-" Sanji cut himself off when Luffy dove into the vortex. "So much for that."

"We have to go too," Mari said.

Sanji nodded. They stood up and ran over to the vortex then dove in.

…

Luffy fell fast before something slowed his fall. He looked around. The area was a dark blue with tons of sparkling dots. "Rena?"

"Wow," Mari said.

"What is this place?" Sanji asked.

"A void that was created to hold the warriors," Mari said.

"By the way, Serena kept calling them an army," Sanji said. "How can an army be of only three people?"  
"You haven't seen their magic," Mari said. "They are an army in themselves."

"Just great," Sanji said.

"It'll be fine. Remember what I told you about them. Serena will be able to control them," Mari said.

"Rena!" Luffy shouted when he saw her. Kicking his feet he swam over to her. He pulled her into his arms. "Rena? Rena, wake up."

"This isn't good. She has no pulse," Sanji said pressing his fingers to her wrist.

"No! She's not dead! She can't be!" Luffy said. "Rena, you wake up right now! Do you hear me, Serena?! I won't let you die! I won't lose you! Now wake up!"

Serena didn't react.

"Serena…" Luffy leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. "I won't…I won't lose you. Not like this. You have to wake up." The glow around his body increased. It flowed over to Serena's.

"What's happening?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not sure," Mari said. "It looks like a bridge is forming between their bodies."

"Bridge?" Sanji asked. "That thing you told me that her mom did?"

"Yes." Mari nodded. "But I have no idea how it's happening now."

They watched. The glow came together. With a flash the glow died down leaving only a small amount left.

"Is that?" Sanji took a step closer.

The glow took the shape of a tiny girl with fairy like wings on her naked back. She lifted her head and smiled at them. Her eyes were yellow, the pupil a dark blue star. Her skin was a soft blue and fuzzy.

"What in the world is that?" Sanji asked.

"I don't have a clue. I've never seen anything like this before," Mari said.

Serena drew in a breath.

"Rena?" Luffy asked. He cupped her face.

Serena's eyelashes fluttered open. "L-Lalu?"

"Yeah." Luffy nodded. "I'm right here."

"What…what happened?" Serena looked around. "Where are we?"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Luffy hugged her.

"What?" Serena asked.

"You opened the gate," Mari said.

"What? How?" Serena asked.

"Your mother apparently built a bridge between you and Luffy," Mari said. "She gave Luffy some of your magic so you wouldn't open the gate."

"Mama," a tiny voice said.

Serena drew her eyes to the voice. She blinked at the little girl before her. "Who…is that?"

"We're not sure," Mari said. "Luffy's glow combined with yours and she appeared."

"Um, okay," Serena said.

"Mama." The girl flew over to Serena. She sat in her hand.

"Did she call me Mama?" Serena asked. "Your skin feels like fur."

"Why would she do that?" Sanji asked.

"We don't have time to think about it," Mari said. "We have to get back to Hydra. The army must be stopped."

"That army is real?" Serena blinked.

"It is. You just don't remember it because part of your memories got erased when your mom gave Luffy part of your magic," Mari said. "But we can talk about that later."

"Are you able to fight?" Luffy asked.

"I think so," Serena said. The world around her spun. She leaned against Luffy.

"Take it easy," Sanji said. "If you can't fight then you can't."

"I'll be okay. Just give me a minute." Serena placed her hand over her face. She drew in a few slow deep breaths. The spinning stopped. "I'm better. So what do we have to do?"

"Tame the army," Mari said. "It might be hard at first but you're the only one they'll listen to."

Great." Serena pushed herself to her feet. "Let's get this over with." She looked at Luffy. Guilt plagued her for what she had done, but that would have to wait until later. "Are you ready?"

Luffy nodded.

"Mommy!" the little fairy girl chirped.

"Sanji, could you keep an eye on her?" Serena asked.

"Sure thing." Sanji plucked up the little girl and placed her in his breast pocket.

"Stay with Sanji," Serena said.

"Stay. Stay." The girl poked her head out of the pocket but stayed where she was.

Serena exhaled. She extended her glow over everyone and lifted then to the gate. They exited into a storm. People were screamed. Attacks were being thrown at the army, but nothing did any good.

"I'll keep Sanji and the girl with me," Mari said.

"Okay." Serena nodded. Handing them over to her friend she took off with Luffy. "I have no idea what we're doing."

"It'll be fine," Luffy said.

Serena glanced at him. His hair had fallen over his eyes.

"Let's just get this over with," Luffy said.

"Right." Serena nodded. They had a lot to talk about.

"There they are," Luffy said.

"Stop it!" Serena called out. The army stopped and looked at her. "Stop attacking this place!"

The army turned to her and Luffy and fired at them.

Luffy grabbed Serena and pushed her out of the way. Turning back to them with his glow he threw a punch at them. "Gum Gum Gatlin!" His punches landed on them. They crashed to the ground. "Take that!"

"It didn't stop them." Serena watched as the army got up and charged at them. They dodged then fired back. She gathered her glow and fired at them. "This isn't working. They're an army. I'm suppose to be able to control them but they won't listen."

"Maybe you need to subdue them with your magic rather than attacking them," Luffy said.

Serena looked at him. Luffy might be right. She glanced back down at the army. No type of attack was working on them. "But I don't have enough control over my magic."

"You do too!" Luffy slipped his fingers into hers. "I know you are! Stop doubting yourself!"

"Lalu," Serena said.

"I'm here. We can do this." Luffy nodded. "Let's do it."

Serena nodded. They turned back to the army. Closing their eyes they felt out for the other's magic. Their glow increased. The army fired at them but their attack was absorbed into the glow. Serena and Luffy opened their now glowing eyes. Their glow shot out at the army and engulfed them. "I command you to stop fighting."

The army froze.

"You did it," Luffy said.

"This is over," Serena said. "We have control over them now."

"Hey! You did it!" Sanji said as Mari moved them closer.

"I hope so," Serena said while staring at the army. "I'm not really sure what to do with them now." Her body buckled.

"Rena!" Luffy grabbed her.

"I'm okay. Just tired," Serena said.

"Don't fall asleep just yet. You still have something to take care of," Mari said.

Serena looked down at Azalea and Keres. They were pulling themselves up from the ground. "Right. Them."

Luffy dropped them to the ground.

Azalea and Keres looked up at them.

"You failed," Serena said. "And now you'll be punished for it." She waved her hand. "Take them away."

The army stepped forward. They picked Azalea and Keres up off the ground.

"Lock them up," Serena said.

People started gathering around them. Whispers rose into the air.

Serena sighed. "I'm not happy with any of you. You all allowed Azalea to take control over this island. I should punish you all."

The people moved back from her.

Serena rolled her eyes. "I might still do that. But for now I-" She collapsed.

"Rena!" Luffy grabbed her and lowered her to the ground.

"She's just tired," Mari said. "That's the first time she's used so much magic. We should take her back to the mansion so she can sleep."

Luffy picked Serena up and followed Mari and Sanji.

…

Serena groaned as she opened her eyes. She blinked her blurry vision away before noticing Luffy was snoring beside her. Turning her head she looked at him. She reached out and brushed his bangs away from his face before they fell stubbornly back in place. "Lalu…"

"He stayed with you," Mari said.

"What?" Serena lifted her eyes to her friend.

"Since we brought you back to the mansion he hasn't left your side," Mari said.

"How long have I been out?" Serena asked.

"Two days," Mari said.

"Two days?" Serena's eyes widened. "Wait. What about the others? What happened?"

"Well, the army locked Azalea and Keres up in jail. Some people have protested but they're too scared to really do anything. Your friends are fine. Once everything had settled down here I let them onto the island."

"They didn't even fight then." Serena sunk into her bed. "I'm glad. They could have gotten seriously hurt."

"They've made themselves right at home," Mari said.

"What about the twins and their dad?" Serena asked.

"Well, we're having a hard time tracking your uncle down," Mari said. "Seems he disappeared or is shacked up with a woman. I've been watching over the twins. But I haven't taken them to see their mom. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. So far no other family members have called about them or Azalea."

Serena snorted and sat up. "Why am I not surprised about that?"

"Mmmm, meat," Luffy said before opening his eyes. He sat up and looked around.

Serena turned her eyes down to the bed when he looked at her.

"Well, I'll let everyone know you're awake. I'm sure you two need to talk." Mari left the room.

Serena gnawed on her cheek. Her heart pound as her head grappled for words.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

Serena flinched.

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on? Why didn't you tell me your aunt was beating you?" Luffy asked.

Serena swallowed. "Because I knew what you would you. You would come here."

"Of course I would come here! We're friends, Serena!" Luffy shouted.

Serena flinched at him using her real name. When she felt him moving closer to the edge of the bed she panicked and grabbed his shirt. "I'm sorry."

"You should have told me."

"I know. I just…I didn't want you to get hurt. I knew you weren't strong enough to come here. And then when Ace…" Luffy's flinch vibrated through her fingertips. Leaning towards him she pressed her forehead to his back. Tears leaked from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Luffy. I…I didn't want you to get hurt because of me. You mean too much to me. You mean more to me than anyone else on the planet. Don't you know that? Can't you feel it?"

Luffy sighed. "I do. Of course I do. I know how you feel. And you know how I feel. It hurt when you didn't tell me the truth."

"I know." Serena released him. Pulling back she wrapped her arms around herself. "I hated myself even though I knew I was protecting you. I'll understand if you never-huh?" She paused when Luffy's arms wrapped around her.

"I'll always forgive you. As long as you promise to always tell me when something's happening to you," Luffy said.

A shiver ran through her body when he nuzzled behind her ear.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Good." Luffy placed his fingers under her chin and turned her to him.

"What are you-" Serena was silenced when he pressed his lips to hers.

Luffy pulled away when his stomach grumbled. "Can we eat now?"

Serena stared at him; shocked he had just kissed her. She never thought he would ever kiss her. She figured she would give him their first kiss.

"Rena, come on! Let's go eat!" Luffy said.

Serena sighed and smiled. "Okay."

"Yes!" Luffy jumped off the bed.

Serena followed him. They headed out the room and down the stairs. Her heart pounded when he laced his fingers with her. She looked at him. He smiled. She smiled back and closed her fingers around his. She knew they had officially become a couple in that moment.

"There you two are," Usopp said when they entered into the living room.

"You're looking a lot better, Serena," Robin said. The little fairy girl was sleeping on her lap.

"I am." Serena nodded.

"We were so worried about you," Chopper said. "That barrier kept us off the island. But Sanji informed us on what happened."

"Where is Sanji?" Serena asked when she noticed the cook wasn't with them.

"He's in the kitchen of course," Nami said.

"He said he wanted to give you a healthy meal when you woke up," Brook said. "He also figured Luffy would be starving as well since he didn't eat much while you were sleeping."

"You didn't eat?" Serena looked at Luffy.

"So? I was worried," Luffy said. "Don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't." Serena smiled.

"Serena!" The twins came running into the room. "Give back our mom!"

"Such brats," Nami said. "Your mom is locked up. We've told you that already. Get over it."

"Shut up! Serena's the horrible one here!" they said.

Serena's temple twitched. In aggravation she summoned her glow and pulled the twins to her.

"What are you doing?!" they demanded.

"I have waited so long to do this." Turning them over she swatted their backsides.

The twins wailed. "We're telling mom!"

"Go right ahead." Serena released them. "She can't do anything to me anymore."

"So what are you going to do with the little darlings?" Franky asked as the twins ran out of the room.

"I'm not sure. I haven't thought much about it," Serena said. Her eyes fell upon the fairy girl in Robin's lap. "So she wasn't just a dream."

"Sanji has told us about her as well," Robin said. "Do you have any idea where she came from?"

"Not really." Serena thought back to the vortex. "She just kind of appeared when our magic linked."

"I wonder," Mari said.

"Wonder what?" Serena looked at the older woman.

"I wonder if this little girl is some form of bridge between you and Luffy," Mari said.

"Why would you think that?" Serena asked.

"It kind of just came to me. She did appear when you two were linked. And Luffy still has half of your magic," Mari said. "It might be possible that this little girl is linking your magic together so you can both use your full magical strength together."

"But if that was possible wouldn't my mom have one of these creatures?" Serena asked.

"Maybe. Then maybe not since your mother died after she used her magic to form the bridge," Mari said.

"I've read through the history books that Mari has provided for me," Robin said. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. It's theoretically possible it can be done with all Hydrians."

Serena hummed. "Interesting but not something I want to experiment with."

"It's possible we'll never have an answer for this," Usopp said.

"Hey! Lunch is ready." Sanji stepped up to the living room. "Good you see you're finally up, Serena."

"Thanks." Serena smiled.

"Shall I get the twins?" Mari asked.

"No. I really don't want them around right now," Serena said. "Besides I'm sure they're too upset at the moment to eat."

"You sure surprised them," Mari said.

"They needed it," Serena said.

"Mama! Papa!" The fairy girl woke up and flew over to her and Luffy.

"She's going to need a name," Nami said.

"I suppose so," Serena said before thinking about it. "Seren."

"That's a pretty name for her," Chopper said.

Serena nodded. "My mom would like her to be named that."

"So you're basically naming your daughter after your mother," Zoro said.

"Daughter?" Serena flushed.

"Well, what would you call her?" Zoro asked.

"I…I don't know," Serena said.

"She's blushing," Usopp said.

"Shut up!"

Seren sat on Luffy's shoulder, tilting her head this way and that as if she was a little kitten.

"Yup. She's our daughter!" Luffy said with a big grin.

"Lalu! Not you two!" Serena turned to him.

"Well, she did come from both of us," Luffy said.

"Yeah, but that's not the same as having…well, I mean that…"

"Serena's embarrassed at the thought of having children with Luffy." Sanji smiled.

"Shut up!" Serena's cheeks darkened. She turned and left the room. "Let's eat! You said it was ready, right?!"

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Sanji followed after her with everyone else following him. "You two love each other. It's only natural that you two would want to have sex."

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

The pirates laughed.

"I think Shanks would like to have grandchildren," Usopp said.

"Either way he's got one now," Sanji said. "I wonder what he'll think of it."

Serena plopped down in the chair at the table. With a groan she dropped her forehead on the table and covered her head with her arms.

Luffy laughed and sat down beside her.

She snuck a glance at him, wondering what he thought about actually having children. Biological children.

"Food. Food," Seren said. She flew to the table and sat down at Serena's plate.

"Great. Just what we need. Another Luffy on the ship," Zoro said.

"Uncle Dodo!" Seren chirped.

"What?!" Zoro snapped. Everyone laughed.

"Calm down, Uncle Dodo," Sanji said. "She's just a baby."

"She is not! Babies don't talk, you idiot cook!" Zoro said.

"Well, she's not human so she must develop differently," Robin said.

"Whatever." Zoro stabbed his fork into his meal.

Serena dropped her eyes to Seren. Never before had she thought of having a child. But here it was, though different from how she expected to have kids. She wondered if she would be able to do it. Luffy's hand took hers. He smiled at her. Her heart raced. She knew everything would be fine as long as she was with Luffy.

…

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Sanji asked.

Two weeks had passed since they had taken down Azalea and Keres. They had decided it was time to leave.

"No thank you. I get violently seasick." Mari waved. "Besides, someone has to stay here and make sure that everyone gets back on the right track. I won't let something like this happen again."

"I'm sorry for dumping the twins on you like this," Serena said.

"Don't worry. I finally got a hold of their dad," Mari said. "He's coming for them next week. They'll be moving in with his current girlfriend."

Serena nodded. She wasn't sure what to say about that. "I'm sorry I can't stay and help you with everything."

"Don't worry about it." Mari waved her hand. "I know there's a lot of people who'll help me. Remember not everyone liked Azalea and Keres."

Serena nodded. She hugged Mari. "Thank you so much for everything."

"Take care of yourself," Mari said. "I'll be keeping an eye on your journeys through the newspapers now that we'll get them."

With tears in her eyes Serena released her friend and crawled up onto the Sunny. She watched her friend and use to be prison fade away. Once they were out of sight she sighed.

"You going to be okay?" Luffy asked.

"Of course. I just didn't think I'd be this sad for leaving," Serena said. "But I know it's the right move. I want to be with you."

Luffy nodded.

"And I want to see my dad again."

"You will." Luffy took her hand in his. "I promise I will reunite you with your dad."

Serena nodded. "I know you will."

"What about the army? Are you sure it was fine to put them back where they came from?" Nami asked.

"I don't know if that was the right choice or not honestly," Serena said. "I just knew I didn't want to take them with us. There didn't seem to be any point, especially since I have no idea what would happen to them if I die. I don't want them going on a rampage like before. Honestly, I want to destroy them so something like this can't happen again. But I have no idea how to do that."

"Maybe your dad will have an idea," Chopper said.

"I can always ask him when we meet up with him," Serena said. "Though I won't be surprised if they can't be destroyed."

"Come on. Enough talk about that." Luffy took Serena's hand and led her to Sunny's lion head. They sat down together and watched the horizon, ready for whatever came their way.


End file.
